Definition

A small, thin bone found in the body of a fish.

Example

Be careful when eating the fish; there might be a fishbone in it.

Conversation

Did you see the fishbone I found at the beach yesterday?

No, I missed it! Was it big?

It was pretty cool, actually — I wasn't expecting to see a fishbone like that.

That's awesome! I love finding little treasures like that.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Fishbone → The word is formed from "fish" (from Old English *fisc*, meaning a gilled aquatic animal) and "bone" (from Old English *ban*, meaning the hard structure that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates). Together, these parts describe the bony structure found in a fish.

Memory Tip

Think of a 'gilled aquatic animal' ('fish') and its 'hard structure' ('bone') — that's what a fishbone is, the bony part of a fish.

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