epiphysis

[ ih-pif-uh-sis ]

noun,plural e·piph·y·ses [ih-pif-uh-seez]. /ɪˈpɪf əˌsiz/. Anatomy.
  1. a part or process of a bone separated from the main body of the bone by a layer of cartilage and subsequently uniting with the bone through further ossification.

Origin of epiphysis

1
1625–35; <New Latin <Greek epíphysis a growth upon, equivalent to epi-epi- + phýsis growth (phȳ́(ein) to make grow, bring forth, produce + -sis-sis)

Other words from epiphysis

  • ep·i·phys·e·al [ep-uh-fiz-ee-uhl, ih-pif-uh-see-uhl, -zee-], /ˌɛp əˈfɪz i əl, ɪˌpɪf əˈsi əl, -ˈzi-/, ep·i·phys·i·al, adjective

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

How to use epiphysis in a sentence

  • All the larger bones have their ends formed by prominent epiphyses which do not unite with the shaft till late in life.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • Each of the five digits consists of a long metatarsal with epiphyses at both ends, and of a variable number of phalanges.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The distal phalanges have epiphyses only at their proximal ends, the others at both ends.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The vertebral centra are ossified, and only in exceptionally rare cases have terminal epiphyses.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • Each has a moderately long centrum, concave in front and convex behind, both terminations being formed by epiphyses.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for epiphysis

epiphysis

/ (ɪˈpɪfɪsɪs) /


nounplural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
  1. the end of a long bone, initially separated from the shaft (diaphysis) by a section of cartilage that eventually ossifies so that the two portions fuse together

  2. Also called: epiphysis cerebri (ˈsɛrɪˌbraɪ) the technical name for pineal gland

Origin of epiphysis

1
C17: via New Latin from Greek: a growth upon, from epi- + phusis growth, from phuein to bring forth, produce

Derived forms of epiphysis

  • epiphyseal or epiphysial (ˌɛpɪˈfɪzɪəl), adjective

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