skeleton

noun

1. 1

   the internal supporting structure that gives an artifact its shape

   the building has a steel skeleton

2. 2

   the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of an animal

3. 3

   a scandal that is kept secret

   there must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet

4. 4

   something reduced to its minimal form

   the battalion was a mere skeleton of its former self

   the bare skeleton of a novel