Dictionary

boneyard en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈboʊnˌjɑɹd/ (General-American)

Etymology

From bone + yard.

Meanings

1. (informal) A graveyard.
2. In the game of dominoes, the pile of upside-down pieces that have yet to be used.
3. (slang) A dumpsite for obsolete or unusable aircraft etc; a junkyard.
   • B-52s in a boneyard
   • Beginning in December 1969, the entire fleet was retired to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. 2017, William A. Flanagan, Aviation Records in the Jet Age:
   • Or what is conveyed to those unversed in railway matters by reports following a shed visit that "the frame of Claud Hamilton lay in the boneyard and had many endearing messages of farewell chalked on it"? 1951 April, R. S. McNaught, “Railway Enthusiasts”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 269:
   • The “Boneyard” is a place of antiques and historic symbolism, a burial ground for aircraft. 1999, Naval Aviation News, volumes 82-83, page 37:
   • a 440 V-8 from the boneyard
4. An area scraped down to the mineral soil, so that smouldering material can be placed there without starting another fire.

Forms

Deriveds

boneyard sale

Synonyms

aircraft graveyard (dumpsite for aircraft)