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Origin and history of ossification

ossification(n.)

1690s, "the formation of bones," from Latin ossis "of bones," genitive of os "bone" (from PIE root *ost- "bone") + -fication "a making or causing." From 1705 as "a bony formation." It is recorded earlier than ossify.

Entries linking to ossification

1713, intransitive, "to harden like bone, become bone;" 1721, intransitive, "convert to bone;" a back-formation from ossification, or else modeled on French ossifier (18c.) and formed from Latin os (genitive ossis) "bone" (from PIE root *ost- "bone") + -fy. Figurative sense "become rigid and fixed" (of thought, customs, etc.) is by 1858. Related: Ossified; ossifying.

word-forming element meaning "a making or causing," from Latin -ficationem (nominative -ficatio), forming nouns of action from verbs in -ficare (compare -fy), combining form of facere "to make," from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put."

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "bone."

It might form all or part of: osseous; ossicle; ossuary; ossifrage; ossify; osteo-; osteology; osteopathy; ostracism; ostracize; oyster; periosteum.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit asthi, Hittite hashtai-, Greek osteon "bone," Greek ostrakon "oyster shell," Avestan ascu- "shinbone," Latin os (genitive ossis) "bone," osseus "bony, of bone," Welsh asgwrn, Armenian oskr, Albanian asht "bone."

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