osteoclast
Americannoun
-
Cell Biology. one of the large multinuclear cells in growing bone concerned with the absorption of osseous tissue, as in the formation of canals.
-
Surgery. an instrument for effecting osteoclasis.
noun
-
a surgical instrument for fracturing bone
-
a large multinuclear cell formed in bone marrow that is associated with the normal absorption of bone
-
A specialized bone cell that absorbs bone, allowing for the deposition of new bone and maintenance of bone strength. Osteoclasts secrete enyzmes that dissolve the matrix of old bone tissue and acids that dissolve bone salts, which contain calcium and phosphorus. Except in growing bone, the rate of bone deposition and bone absorption equal each other so that bone mass remains constant. A mass of osteoclasts absorbs bone from the outer surfaces inward for about three weeks. The osteoclasts are then converted into osteoblasts that form new bone to fill in the cavities.
-
See also osteoblast
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of osteoclast
1870–75; osteo- + -clast < Greek klastós broken
Compare meaning
How does osteoclast compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing osteoclast
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.
Although, bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts is crucial for maintaining skeletal health, PTH-induced osteoclast differentiation can decrease treatment efficacy in patients with osteoporosis.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024
However, it localized in the cytoplasm in granular form in the macrophages and differentiated into osteoclasts, distinct from its normal peri-nuclear localization in other cell types, indicating its cytoplasmic function in osteoclast differentiation.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2024
Suppressing osteoclast differentiation can, therefore, serve as a therapeutic strategy to prevent bone loss.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2024
"Despite osteoclast should employ Rab dependent traffic, which Rabs are involved had been scarcely understood" says lead author of the first paper, Kazuya Noda.
From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2023
An osteoblast engaged in the absorption instead of the formation of bone is called an osteoclast.
From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
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.
