bone meal

or bonemeal

noun

, Agriculture.

1. bones ground to a coarse powder, used as fertilizer or feed.

bone meal

noun

1. the product of dried and ground animal bones, used as a fertilizer or in stock feeds

Word History and Origins

Origin of bone meal¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

My kids will go get deer bones out of the woods, and then I’ll grind them up and make my own bone meal.

From New York Times

The Pollution Control Board responded that it recently began a study that could lead to curbing air pollution and reducing the intolerable stench in the area largely caused, it said, by bone meal fertilizer factories and meat rendering plants.

From Seattle Times

The number of BSE cases plummeted after bans were introduced on feed that included meat and bone meal from infected cows believed to cause the disease.

From Seattle Times

Fertilizers that have chicken manure or bone meal are particularly enticing to dogs, Poppenga said, so use them only in areas your dog can’t access.

From Washington Post

Applying amendments that are slow to break down, such as agricultural lime, bone meal and rock phosphate, in autumn allows time for natural processes to work, ensuring that nutrients will be readily available when plants begin growing next year.

From Seattle Times