skeletonize

To reduce to a skeleton.

Verb

  1. To reduce to a skeleton.
    • A school of piranhas crawled out from the water, made its way to the capital of Lima, and skeletonized the prime minister in just under 30 seconds. - 2012, The Onion Book of Known Knowledge, page 8:
  2. To reduce to little or nothing.

Origin

From skeleton + -ize.

Forms

skeletonizes skeletonizing skeletonized skeletonise

Related

skeletonization skeletonizer

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