ossify
[ os-uh-fahy ]
verb (used with object),os·si·fied, os·si·fy·ing.
to convert into or cause to harden like bone.
verb (used without object),os·si·fied, os·si·fy·ing.
to become bone or harden like bone.
to become rigid or inflexible in habits, attitudes, opinions, etc.: a young man who began to ossify right after college.
Origin of ossify
1Other words from ossify
- os·si·fi·er, noun
- un·os·si·fy·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for ossify
ossify
/ (ˈɒsɪˌfaɪ) /
verb-fies, -fying or -fied
to convert or be converted into bone
(intr) (of habits, attitudes, etc) to become inflexible
Origin of ossify
1C18: from French ossifier, from Latin os bone + facere to make
Derived forms of ossify
- ossifier, noun
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
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