skeletal

[ skel-i-tl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or like a skeleton.

Other Words From

• skele·tal·ly adverb
• non·skele·tal adjective
• non·skele·tal·ly adverb
• pseudo·skele·tal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of skeletal¹

First recorded in 1850–55; skelet(on) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The two-year-old, who was found under a pile of blankets with “traumatic injuries from head to toe” on 30 June 2023, officially died from a bone marrow embolism as a consequence of skeletal trauma.

From BBC

Besides the redistribution of fluid in the body, changes made to the skeletal system by living in microgravity can cause longer-term health consequences.

From Salon

With his stand-up hair, skinny body and long, skeletal fingers, he could pass for a contemporary of ours, a proto-punk figure who would seem at home on the Lower East Side.

From New York Times

Achondroplasia is the most common form of skeletal dysplasia or dwarfism, affecting around one in 20,000 babies in Australia.

From Science Daily

Months of searching and waiting culminated in a grim discovery in August 2010 when her skeletal remains were discovered in Malibu Canyon.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bony
• emaciated