Skeletal

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈskɛl.ɪ.təl/

Definitions

1. Relating to or resembling a framework of bones, or extremely thin and emaciated in appearance
2. Pertaining to the hard structure that supports and protects the body, or indicative of a very thin and frail physique that lacks flesh
3. Connected to the bony structure that gives form to an organism, or describing someone who appears gaunt and lacking in body mass

Etymology: "Skeletal" is a straightforward formation: it takes the noun "skeleton" and adds the adjectival suffix "-al", which turns a noun into a word meaning "relating to" or "resembling" it. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends from Latin "-ālis", which was attached to nouns to make adjectives, and it reached English by way of Old French and Middle English. Pairs such as "moral" or "national" follow the same pattern. The base word, "skeleton", is the more interesting part of the chain. It comes from Greek "skeletos", meaning "dried up" or "withered", from the verb "skellein", "to dry up". The sense of a dried-up body gave way to the framework of bones that remains once flesh has gone, which is why "skeletal" today can describe both a literal bony structure and a body wasted to the bone.

Synonyms: bony, thin, gaunt, emaciated, spindly

Antonyms: plump, fat, heavy, robust, full-figured