1. (

• skeleton

) something reduced to its minimal form; "the battalion was a mere skeleton of its former self"; "the bare skeleton of a novel" ;

2. (

• skeleton ,
• skeleton_in_the_closet ,
• skeleton_in_the_cupboard

) a scandal that is kept secret; "there must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet" ;

3. (

• skeletal_system ,
• skeleton ,
• frame ,
• systema_skeletale

) the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal ;

4. (

• skeleton ,
• skeletal_frame ,
• frame ,
• underframe

) the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape; "the building has a steel skeleton" ;