apophysis

[ uh-pof-uh-sis ]

/ əˈpɒf ə sɪs /

Save This Word!

noun, plural a·poph·y·ses

[uh-pof-uh-seez]. /əˈpɒf əˌsiz/.

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

Architecture. apophyge.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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/, adjectiveap·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/, adjectivein·ter·ap·o·phys·e·al, adjective

Words nearby apophysis

Apophis, apophony, apophthegm, apophyge, apophyllite, apophysis, apophysitis, apoplast, apoplectic, apoplectiform, apoplexy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

a process, outgrowth, or swelling from part of an animal or plant

geology a tapering offshoot from a larger igneous intrusive mass

Derived forms of apophysis

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

Word Origin for apophysis

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

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

Medical definitions for apophysis

apophysis

[ ə-pŏf′ĭ-sĭs ]

n. pl. a•poph•y•ses (-sēz′)

An outgrowth or projection of an organ or part, especially an outgrowth from a bone that lacks an independent center of ossification.

Other words from apophysis

ap′o•phys′i•al (ăp′ə-fĭz′ē-əl) null adj.