skeleton (redirected from skeleton in the closet)

skeleton /skel·e·ton/ (skel´ĕ-ton) [Gr.] the hard framework of the animal body, especially that of higher vertebrates; the bones of the body collectively.

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appendicular skeleton  the bones of the limbs and supporting thoracic (pectoral) and pelvic girdles.

axial skeleton  the bones of the body axis, including the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum.

cardiac skeleton  the fibrous or fibrocartilaginous framework that supports and gives attachment to the cardiac muscle fibers and valves, and the roots of the aorta and pulmonary trunk.

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skel·e·ton (skl-tn) n. 1. The internal structure composed of bone and cartilage that protects and supports the soft organs, tissues, and other parts of a vertebrate organism; endoskeleton. 2. All the bones of the body taken collectively. 3. The exoskeleton.

skeleton

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skeleton

[skel′ətən]

Etymology: Gk, skeletos, dried up

the supporting framework for the body, comprising 206 bones in the adult that protect delicate structures, provide attachments for muscles, allow body movement, serve as major reservoirs of blood, and produce red blood cells, platelets, and most white blood cells. The skeleton is divided into the axial skeleton, which has 74 bones; the appendicular skeleton, with 126 bones; and the 6 auditory ossicles. The four types of bones composing the skeleton are the long bones, including the humerus, the ulna, the femur, the tibia, the fibula, and the phalanges of the fingers and the toes; the short bones, including the carpals and the tarsals; the flat bones, including the frontal bone and the parietal bone of the cranium, the ribs, and the shoulder bones; and the irregular bones, including the vertebrae, the bones of the sacrum, the bones of the coccyx, and certain bones of the skull, such as the sphenoid, the ethmoid, and the mandible. The skeleton changes throughout life as bone formation and bone destruction proceed concurrently. During childhood and adolescence, bone formation proceeds faster than bone destruction. Starting at 35 to 40 years of age, bone destruction proceeds faster than bone formation. In advanced age bone destruction increases, bones become thin and brittle, vertebrae may collapse, and height decreases. See also bone, the Color Atlas of Human Anatomy. skeletal, adj.

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skeleton [skel´ĕ-ton]

the hardened tissues forming the supporting framework of an animal body; see skeletal system.

axial skeleton (skeleton axia´le) the bones of the cranium, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum.

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skeleton

the stiff, hardened tissues forming the supporting framework of an animal body.

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appendicular skeleton

the bones of the limbs.

axial skeleton

the skull, spine, ribs and sternum.

visceral skeleton

1. the skeleton that forms part of an organ such as the os penis or os cordis.

2. the bony framework that protects the viscera, such as the sternum, ribs or pelvis.

skeleton weed

see lygodesmia juncea.