wishbone means A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 70 out of 100.
wishbone is pronounced /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/.
Why “wishbone” is a great word
WISHBONE — [Noun] A forked bone, the furcula of a bird, traditionally broken by two people with each making a wish, and also a spar or rigging on a sailing vessel. From wish + bone; so called from the custom of making a wish while pulling the bone apart, with the term and custom attested from the early 17th century. Unlike "furcula" (a precise anatomical term, devoid of fortune) or "merrythought" (an older term highlighting mere amusement), "wishbone" is a brittle repository of silent yearning. It is the crisp, dry snap in a Thanksgiving kitchen, the taut line of a jib-boom on a heeling sailboat, and the delicate, bleached relic saved in a child's drawer—a small, forked proof that we have always mapped our futures onto the fragile architecture of the present.
Etymology
From wish + bone.
noun
- A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.
- A spar in two parts, between which a sail is hoisted, the wishbone extending its clew.
- Any sailing vessel rigged with a wishbone.
- A particular kind of offensive formation. See wishbone formation.
- A suspension component similar in shape to a chicken wishbone.
verb
- To form into a wishbone-like shape; to fork.