skeleton
Meaning of skeleton: Beyond structural support, the skeleton stores minerals, produces blood cells within its marrow, and protects vital organs from injury.
Definition of skeleton
The skeleton is the internal framework of bone and cartilage that supports a vertebrate body, gives it shape, works with muscles to allow movement, and shields internal organs such as the brain, heart, and lungs from injury. In vertebrates, most of the skeleton is bone, a rigid tissue that also serves as a reservoir for calcium and phosphate, while cartilage, a more flexible connective tissue, forms structures such as the outer ear and cushions joint surfaces.
The human skeleton is customarily divided into the axial skeleton, made up of the skull, spinal column, and rib cage, and the appendicular skeleton, comprising the limbs, shoulder girdle, and pelvis. Many bones present at birth fuse together during growth, so an adult skeleton contains fewer, larger bones than an infant's.
Beyond providing structural support, the skeleton houses bone marrow, the tissue responsible for producing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, closely linking the skeletal system to normal blood production throughout life.
Used in a sentence
Radiographic imaging of the skeleton revealed no evidence of fracture.
Good to know
An infant's skeleton contains more individual bones than an adult's, since bones such as the skull plates fuse together with age rather than the body losing bone mass.
Word origin
Where “skeleton” comes from
Formed from Greek skeletos, meaning dried up, from skellein, meaning to dry or parch, an early term describing a preserved, dried body.