bone marrow

noun

: a soft highly vascular modified connective tissue that occupies the cavities of most bones and occurs in two forms:

a

: one that is yellowish, consists chiefly of fat cells, and is found especially in the cavities of long bones

b

: one that is reddish, is the chief site of blood cell formation, and occurs in the normal adult in cancellous tissue especially of certain flat bones

called also red marrow

Examples of bone marrow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Another starter features perhaps the finest handshake of the two culinary traditions — a piece of bone marrow, wood-fired and infused with New York deli delicacies, pastrami and sauerkraut. —Spencer Whaley, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Iron is essential for healthy muscles, bone marrow, and organ function. —Johna Burdeos, Health, 17 Feb. 2025

Tastes for offal such as tripe, blood, sweetbreads, bone marrow, oxtail, heart and liver vary from person to person, though countries outside the U.S. find far more use for it in their regular cuisines. —Miguel Otárola, The Denver Post, 28 Jan. 2025

People on the carnivore diet generally consume foods including meat, fish, eggs, organ meat, bone marrow, full-fat dairy and animal fats like lard. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bone marrow

• caballero
• mescalero
• aero
• faro
• garo
• narrow
• pharaoh
• sparrow
• taro
• bolero
• bracero
• estero

Kids Definition

bone marrow

noun

: a soft tissue rich in blood vessels that fills the cavities of most bones and occurs in two forms:

a

: one that is yellowish and fatty and is found especially in long bones (as the femur)

b

: one that is reddish, is the main place where blood cells are formed, and in adults is limited especially to certain flat or short bones (as the ribs)

Medical Definition

bone marrow

noun

: a soft highly vascular modified connective tissue that occupies the cavities and cancellous part of most bones and occurs in two forms:

a

: a whitish or yellowish bone marrow that consists chiefly of fat cells and is found especially in the cavities of the long bones

called also yellow marrow

b

: a reddish bone marrow that contains little fat, is the chief site of red blood cell and blood granulocyte formation, and occurs in the normal adult in cancellous tissue especially of certain flat bones

called also red marrow