apophysis

[ uh-pof-uh-sis ]

noun,plural a·poph·y·ses

[uh-pof-uh-seez]. /əˈpɒf əˌsiz/.

Anatomy, Botany. an outgrowth; process; projection or protuberance.
Architecture. apophyge.

Origin of apophysis

1605–15; <New Latin <Greek: offshoot, equivalent to apo-apo- + phýsis growth, equivalent to phý(ein) to bring forth + -sis-sis

Other words from apophysis

a·poph·y·sate [uh-pof-uh-sit, -seyt], /əˈpɒf ə sɪt, -ˌseɪt/, adjective
ap·o·phys·e·al, ap·o·phys·i·al [ap-uh-fiz-ee-uhl, uh-pof-uh-see-uhl], /ˌæp əˈfɪz i əl, əˌpɒf əˈsi əl/, a·poph·y·sar·y [uh-pof-uh-ser-ee], /əˈpɒf əˌsɛr i/, adjective
in·ter·ap·o·phys·e·al, adjective

Words Nearby apophysis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apophysis in a sentence

apophysis, any irregular swelling; the enlargement at the base of the spore-case of the Umbrella-Moss.
The Elements of Botany | Asa Gray
Each apophysis is crossed in its apical half at right angles by two short parallel transverse rods.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia) | Ernst Haeckel
Each apophysis represents a regular rectangular cross, being intersected in its middle by one perpendicular rod of its own length.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia) | Ernst Haeckel
Each apophysis is pinnate with opposite pinnul, or crossed at right angles by three to six parallel transverse rods.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia) | Ernst Haeckel
No ctenidium, but a pulmonary cavity; operculum with an apophysis.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for apophysis

apophysis

/ (əˈpɒfɪsɪs) /

nounplural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

a process, outgrowth, or swelling from part of an animal or plant
geology a tapering offshoot from a larger igneous intrusive mass

Origin of apophysis

C17: via New Latin from Greek apophusis a sideshoot, from apo- + phusis growth

Derived forms of apophysis

apophysate (əˈpɒfɪsɪt, -seɪt), adjective
apophysial (ˌæpəˈfɪzɪəl), 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

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