apophysis

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English

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.

Pronunciation

Noun

apophysis (plural apophyses)

  1. (anatomy) A natural outgrowth, swelling or enlargement, usually of an organism; a protuberance on a bone.
    • 1836, E. A. Poe, Maelzel's Chess-Player:
      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. (botany) The external part of a cone scale.
  3. (geology) A branch of a dike or vein.

Derived terms

Translations

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