skeletonize

/ˈskɛlətənaɪz/
verb
  1. To reduce something to its basic structure or outline, removing all unnecessary parts.
    • The architect decided to skeletonize the building design to focus on the main supports.
    • In the editing process, the writer had to skeletonize the long article into a short summary.
    • The artist skeletonized the landscape drawing, showing only the hills and rivers.
  2. To remove the flesh from a body or carcass, leaving only the bones.
    • The museum used beetles to gently skeletonize small specimens for display.
    • Forensic scientists skeletonize animal remains to study the bones.
    • In the desert, the sun and scavengers quickly skeletonize any dead animal.
Antonyms