From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_304_gskeletonskel‧e‧ton /ˈskelətən/ ●○○ noun 1 
bones [countable] a) HBthe structure consisting of all the bones in a human or animal body the human skeleton b) Ma set of these bones or a model of them, fastened in their usual positions, used, for example, by medical students2 basic parts [singular]SUMMARIZE the most important parts of something, to which more detail can be added later We agreed on a skeleton outline of the proposal.3 thin person [countable]THIN OBJECT OR MATERIAL an extremely thin person or animal The disease had reduced Harry to a skeleton.4 structure [countable] the main structure that supports a building, bridge etc Minutes after the explosion, all that remained was the skeleton of the bridge.5 → a skeleton in the closet6 → skeleton staff/crew/service etc7 sport a) [uncountable] a sport in which you slide down a special ice track while lying on your front on a type of sledge b) [countable] the vehicle you slide on in this sport → bobsleigh, luge
bones [countable] a) HBthe structure consisting of all the bones in a human or animal body the human skeleton b) Ma set of these bones or a model of them, fastened in their usual positions, used, for example, by medical students2 basic parts [singular]SUMMARIZE the most important parts of something, to which more detail can be added later We agreed on a skeleton outline of the proposal.3 thin person [countable]THIN OBJECT OR MATERIAL an extremely thin person or animal The disease had reduced Harry to a skeleton.4 structure [countable] the main structure that supports a building, bridge etc Minutes after the explosion, all that remained was the skeleton of the bridge.5 → a skeleton in the closet6 → skeleton staff/crew/service etc7 sport a) [uncountable] a sport in which you slide down a special ice track while lying on your front on a type of sledge b) [countable] the vehicle you slide on in this sport → bobsleigh, lugeExamples from the Corpus
skeleton• The plate showed the clear outline of a skeleton!• We watched her go from a healthy girl to a skeleton in just a few months.• The skulls and one complete skeleton in rotting clothes had leered out of magazines.• He had watched it in early May, as the tiny breaking leaves spread a pinkish haze over the magnificent skeleton.• Today he is making skeletons for Halloween.• Is essential for normal skeleton development in children and adolescents, and for maintaining high bone density in young adults.• The office building's steel skeleton rose above the skyline.• One of the skeletons has an Amulet of Coal about its neck.• It leaves a fully intact and unmodified skeleton at its place of death.• Unlike caffeine, these molecules have only two methyl groups attached to their xanthine skeleton.Origin skeleton (1500-1600) Modern Latin Greek, from skeletos “dried up” 