calcify

[ kal-suh-fahy ]
See synonyms for: calcifycalcified on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object),cal·ci·fied, cal·ci·fy·ing.
  1. Physiology. to make or become calcareous or bony; harden by the deposit of calcium salts.

  2. Geology. to harden by deposition of calcium carbonate.

  1. to make or become rigid or intransigent, as in a political position.

Origin of calcify

1
First recorded in 1830–40; calci- + -fy

Other words from calcify

  • non·cal·ci·fied, adjective
  • un·cal·ci·fied, adjective

Words Nearby calcify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use calcify in a sentence

  • At the fifth year the second permanent molars, and at the eighth year the third molars or wisdom teeth, begin to calcify.

    Degeneracy | Eugene S. Talbot
  • The permanent molars begin to calcify at the twenty-fifth week of fœtal life.

    Degeneracy | Eugene S. Talbot
  • My father did not achieve that for himself, as his arteries had started to calcify before he discovered the immortality vitamin.

    The Book of Gud | Dan Spain
  • The underlying blood coagulates rapidly, and the periosteum begins to calcify within a few weeks, as shown by the X-ray.

    Scurvy Past and Present | Alfred Fabian Hess
  • The permanent incisors do not calcify until a year after birth.

    Degeneracy | Eugene S. Talbot

British Dictionary definitions for calcify

calcify

/ (ˈkælsɪˌfaɪ) /


verb-fies, -fying or -fied
  1. to convert or be converted into lime

  2. to harden or become hardened by impregnation with calcium salts

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012