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zygapophysis

[zig-uh-pof-uh-sis, zahy-guh-]
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noun, plural zyg·a·poph·y·ses [zig-uh-pof-uh-seez, zahy-guh-] /ˌzɪg əˈpɒf əˌsiz, ˌzaɪ gə-/. Anatomy.
  1. one of the four processes of a vertebra, occurring in pairs that interlock each vertebra with the vertebrae above and below.
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Origin of zygapophysis

1850–55; zyg- + apophysis
Related formszyg·ap·o·phys·e·al, zyg·ap·o·phys·i·al [zig-ap-uh-fiz-ee-uh l, zahy-gap-] /ˌzɪg æp əˈfɪz i əl, ˌzaɪ gæp-/, adjectivepost·zyg·ap·o·phys·e·al, adjectivepost·zyg·ap·o·phys·i·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for zygapophysis

Historical Examples

  • Zygapophysis, zī-ga-pof′i-sis, n. one of the yoke-pieces or articulations of the vertebr: pl.

    Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for zygapophysis

zygapophysis

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)
  1. anatomy zoology one of several processes on a vertebra that articulates with the corresponding process on an adjacent vertebra
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Derived Formszygapophyseal (ˌzɪɡæpəˈfɪzɪəl), adjective

Word Origin

C19: from zygo- + apophysis
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