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apophysis

Syllabification: (a·poph·y·sis)
Pronunciation: /əˈpäfəsis/
Definition of apophysis

noun (plural apophyses /-ˌsēz/)

Zoology & Anatomy
  • a natural protuberance from a bone, or inside the shell or exoskeleton of a sea urchin or insect, for the attachment of muscles.
  • Botany a swelling at the base of the sporangium in some mosses.
  • Geology a small offshoot extending from an igneous intrusion into the surrounding rock.

Derivatives

apophyseal

Pronunciation: /əˌpäfəˈsēəl/
adjective

Origin:

late 16th century: modern Latin, from Greek apophusis 'offshoot', from apo- 'from, away' + phusis 'growth'

apophysis in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of apophysis in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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