OSSIFY

ossify

(verb) become bony; “The tissue ossified”

ossify

(verb) cause to become hard and bony; “The disease ossified the tissue”

rigidify, ossify, petrify

(verb) make rigid and set into a conventional pattern; “rigidify the training schedule”; “ossified teaching methods”; “slogans petrify our thinking”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

ossify (third-person singular simple present ossifies, present participle ossifying, simple past and past participle ossified)

(ambitransitive) To transform (or cause to transform) from a softer animal substance into bone; particularly the processes of growth in humans and animals.

(ambitransitive, animate) To become (or cause to become) inflexible and rigid in habits or opinions.

(ambitransitive, inanimate) To grow (or cause to grow) formulaic and permanent.

(rare) To calcify.

Synonyms

• (become inflexible and rigid): harden

Anagrams

• Foisys

Source: Wiktionary


Os"si*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ossified; p. pr. & vb. n. Ossifying.] Etym: [L. os, ossis, bone + -fy: cf. F. ossifier. See Osseous.]

1. (Physiol.)

Definition: To form into bone; to change from a soft animal substance into bone, as by the deposition of lime salts.

2. Fig.: To harden; as, to ossify the heart. Ruskin.

Os"si*fy, v. i. (Physiol.)

Definition: To become bone; to change from a soft tissue to a hard bony tissue.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

9 May 2025

RIGHT

(noun) anything in accord with principles of justice; “he feels he is in the right”; “the rightfulness of his claim”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest collection of coffee pots belongs to Robert Dahl (Germany) and consists of 27,390 coffee pots as of 2 November 2012, in Rövershagen, Germany.

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