epiphysis
Americannoun
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epiphyses
plural
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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.
noun
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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
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Also called: epiphysis cerebri. the technical name for pineal gland
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of epiphysis
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 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The cells, which are pushed from the epiphysis, mature and are destroyed by calcification.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The epiphysis of the femur is roughly hexagonal in shape.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
These chondrocytes do not participate in bone growth but secure the epiphyseal plate to the osseous tissue of the epiphysis.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
This plate is located between the diaphysis and each epiphysis.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Injuries in the region of the upper epiphysis resulting in loss of movement, may, in the absence of a reliable history, be mistaken for tuberculous disease.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles
In the last stage of prenatal bone development, the centers of the epiphyses begin to calcify.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The bone continues to grow and elongate as the cartilage cells at the epiphyses divide.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The epiphyses also contain hyaline cartilage for forming joints with other bones.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
This begins as a primary ossification center in the diaphysis, followed by the later appearance of one or more secondary ossifications centers in the regions of the epiphyses.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Bones formed entirely in cartilage are exempt, namely, the tarsal and carpal bones, the epiphyses of the long bones, the sternum, and the bodies of the vertebræ.
From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Alexis Thomson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
