osteophyte

[os-tee-uh-fahyt]

noun

Pathology.

1. a small, bony outgrowth on a bone, especially at or near a joint as a result of osteoarthritis; bone spur.

osteophyte

/ ˌɒstɪəˈfɪtɪk, ˈɒstɪəˌfaɪt /

noun

1. a small abnormal bony outgrowth

Other Word Forms

• osteophytic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of osteophyte¹

First recorded in 1840–50; osteo- + -phyte

Example Sentences

That approach revealed that exercise does appear to promote the growth of osteophytes, or bony spurs, in the knee joint.

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Activity, especially lots of it, was ‘‘associated with an increase in radiographic osteophytes,’’ or bone spurs, the authors wrote, a condition that long has been accepted as an early indication of knee arthritis.

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Bones may occasionally grow in such a profuse and irregular manner that the product, or osteophyte, assumes the character of a tumor.

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