bony

[ boh-nee ]

adjective

, bon·i·er, bon·i·est.

1. of or like bone.
2. full of bones.
3. having prominent bones; big-boned.
4. skinny; emaciated.

bony

/ ˈbəʊnɪ /

adjective

1. resembling or consisting of bone or bones
2. having many bones
3. having prominent bones

   bony cheeks

4. thin or emaciated

   a bony old woman

Derived Forms

• ˈboniness, noun

Other Words From

• boni·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bony¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, bony is from the Middle English word boni. See bone, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Archaeologists have uncovered early pendants made of bony Glossotherium material, suggesting humans may have played a role in the creature’s demise, however Rinderknecht says the jury is still out on whether hunting, climate change, or even other factors may have dealt the crucial blow.

From Salon

Gudis describes the sinuses as “compartments of little air-filled cavities, like a honeycomb,” or “an office with lots of cubicles in which each space is an air-filled compartment lined by a mucus membrane, surrounded by bony partitions.”

From Los Angeles Times

The giant oarfish, the largest bony fish in the world, was spotted floating — dead — just off San Diego, only the 20th such fish to wash up along the California coast since the early 1900s, according to Ben Frable, manager of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

From Los Angeles Times

Their gripe is that zoology has become, at its worst, the science of bony organisms, which is completely unrepresentative of the true nature of our planet.

From Slate

The olive green freshwater reptile has a distinct bony crest at the back of its head - by some estimates, it can grow up to 3m or nearly 10ft.

From BBC

Related Words

• emaciated
• gaunt
• scrawny
• skinny