ossify C2 Topic:Cause, Change & Process US /ˈɑ.sə.faɪ/ UK /ˈɒs.ɪ.faɪ/ See IPA manual Freq #213716 Meanings 1 verb To become (or cause to become) inflexible and rigid in habits or opinions. Before long, the entire organization ossifies. 2 verb To grow (or cause to grow) formulaic and permanent. This accidental repartition gets repeated, develops advantages of its own, and gradually ossifies into a systematic division of labour. 3 verb To calcify. The cartilages become brittle, and in many instances are ossified; the ligaments are rendered harder, but are less capable of resisting extension. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to become (or cause to... harden Word family Forms ossified Derived forms coossifynonossifyingreossify Related forms calcifyossificationossifier Etymology Back-formation from ossification, or modeled on French ossifier and formed from Latin os, ossis (“bone”) + -ify. Topics Cause, Change & Process External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ossify **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈɑ.sə.faɪ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɒs.ɪ.faɪ/ **Frequency rank:** 213716 ## Meanings 1. To become (or cause to become) inflexible and rigid in habits or opinions. 2. To grow (or cause to grow) formulaic and permanent. 3. To calcify. ## Examples - Before long, the entire organization ossifies. - This accidental repartition gets repeated, develops advantages of its own, and gradually ossifies into a systematic division of labour. - The cartilages become brittle, and in many instances are ossified; the ligaments are rendered harder, but are less capable of resisting extension. ## Synonyms - harden ## Derived Forms - coossify - nonossifying - reossify ## Related Forms - calcify - ossification - ossifier ## Etymology Back-formation from ossification, or modeled on French ossifier and formed from Latin os, ossis (“bone”) + -ify. ## Topics - Cause, Change & Process markdown