n, often attrib  1  :  one of the hard parts of the skeleton of a vertebrate <a shoulder >  <the s of the arm>   2  :  any of various hard animal substances or structures (as baleen or ivory) akin to or resembling bone  3  :  the hard largely calcareous connective tissue of which the adult skeleton of most vertebrates is chiefly composed <cancellous >  <compact >  - compare CARTILAGE1   .
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.