Word of the Day 10.19.9

ossify

os·si·fy (s-f)

v. os·si·fied, os·si·fy·ing, os·si·fies

v.intr.

1. To change into bone; become bony.

2. To become set in a rigidly conventional pattern: “The central ideas of liberalism have ossified” (Jeffrey Hart).

v.tr.

1. To convert (a membrane or cartilage, for example) into bone.

2. To mold into a rigidly conventional pattern.


[Latin os, oss-, bone; see ost- in Indo-European roots + -fy.]


os·sific (-sfk) adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Verb

1.

ossify – become bony; “The tissue ossified”

change state, turn – undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; “We turned from Socialism to Capitalism”; “The people turned against the President when he stole the election”

2.

ossify – make rigid and set into a conventional pattern; “rigidify the training schedule”; “ossified teaching methods”; “slogans petrify our thinking”

stiffen – make stiff or stiffer; “Stiffen the cream by adding gelatine”

3.

ossify – cause to become hard and bony; “The disease ossified the tissue”

alter, change, modify – cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; “The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city”; “The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on October 19, 2009 by admin

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