Skeleton - Definition

n 1: something reduced to its minimal form; "the battalion was a
mere skeleton of its former self"; "the bare skeleton of a
novel"
2: a scandal that is kept secret; "there must be a skeleton
somewhere in that family's closet" [syn: skeleton,
skeleton in the closet, skeleton in the cupboard]
3: the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a
frame for the body of an animal [syn: skeletal system,
skeleton, frame, systema skeletale]
4: the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its
shape; "the building has a steel skeleton" [syn: skeleton,
skeletal frame, frame, underframe]