Apophysis
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A natural outgrowth, swelling or enlargement, usually of an organism; a protuberance on a bone.
"Every bone in the real duck had its representative in the automaton, and its wings were anatomically exact. Every cavity, apophysis, and curvature was imitated, and each bone executed its proper movements."
- 2 (anatomy) a natural outgrowth or projection on an organ or body part such as the process of a vertebra wordnet
- 3 The external part of a cone scale.
- 4 (botany) a natural swelling or enlargement: at the base of the stalk or seta in certain mosses or on the cone scale of certain conifers wordnet
- 5 A branch of a dike or vein.
"Minor palingenetic magmas probably were generated at this time and intruded the mantling rocks in the form of small sills and apophyses; …"
Example
More examples"Every bone in the real duck had its representative in the automaton, and its wings were anatomically exact. Every cavity, apophysis, and curvature was imitated, and each bone executed its proper movements."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀπόφυσις (apóphusis, “offshoot”), from ἀπό (apó) + φύω (phúō, “to bring forth”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to exist, to grow”). Equivalent to apo- + -physis.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.