bone up

An·na·ba up

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [an-nah-buh uhp]
- /ænˈnɑ bə ʌp/
- /bəʊn ʌp/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [an-nah-buh uhp]
- /ænˈnɑ bə ʌp/

Definitions of bone up words

verb bone up to study intensively 3
noun bone up Anatomy, Zoology. one of the structures composing the skeleton of a vertebrate. the hard connective tissue forming the substance of the skeleton of most vertebrates, composed of a collagen-rich organic matrix impregnated with calcium, phosphate, and other minerals. 1
noun bone up such a structure from an edible animal, usually with meat adhering to it, as an article of food: Pea soup should be made with a ham bone. 1
noun bone up any of various similarly hard or structural animal substances, as ivory or whalebone. 1
noun bone up something made of or resembling such a substance. 1
noun bone up a small concession, intended to pacify or quiet; a conciliatory bribe or gift: The administration threw the student protesters a couple of bones, but refused to make any basic changes in the curriculum or requirements. 1

See all 21 definitions of bone up

Information block about the term

Origin of bone up

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English bo(o)n, Old English bān; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon bēn, Dutch been bone, Old Norse bein bone, leg, German Bein leg (-bein bone, in compounds); < Germanic *bainan (neuter), probably orig. past participle (compare Old Irish benaid (he) hews), meaning “lopped off,” from butchering of animals; orig. in phrase *bainan astan lopped-off bone or branch (hence, “leg,” as a branch of the body); replacing *astan bone < Indo-European *Host- (> Latin os(s), Albanian asht, Avestan ast-, Hittite hast-ai), which fell together in Gmc with *astaz branch (> German Ast) < Indo-European *osdos (> Greek ózos, Armenian ost)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Bone up

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Bone up

bone up popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

bone up usage trend in Literature

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Synonyms for bone up

verb bone up

brush up — If you brush up something or brush up on it, you practise it or improve your knowledge of it.
cram — If you cram things or people into a container or place, you put them into it, although there is hardly enough room for them.
drum — a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow, usually cylindrical, body covered at one or both ends with a tightly stretched membrane, or head, which is struck with the hand, a stick, or a pair of sticks, and typically produces a booming, tapping, or hollow sound.
get up — an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal: the get of a stallion.
review — a form of theatrical entertainment in which recent events, popular fads, etc., are parodied.

All 9 Synonyms of bone up