Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
skeleton (noun)1.
a usually rigid supportive or protective structure or framework of an organism , especially the bony or more or less cartilaginous framework supporting the soft tissues and protecting the internal organs of a vertebrate
2.
something reduced to its minimum form or essential parts
3.
an emaciated person or animal
4.
a) something forming a structural framework
b) the straight or branched chain or ring of atoms that forms the basic structure of an organic molecule
5.
something shameful and kept secret (as in a family) - often used in the phrase skeleton in the closet
6.
a small sled that is ridden in a prone position and used especially in competition , also the competition itself
of, consisting of, or resembling a skeleton
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
skeleton (noun)the arrangement of parts that gives something its basic form
SYNONYMS:
architecture, armature, cadre, configuration, edifice, fabric, framework, framing, infrastructure, shell, skeleton, structureRELATED WORDS:
cage, lattice, network; contour, figure, outline, profile, shape, silhouette; chassis