Ossification
/ˌɒs.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/noun
The process of becoming or turning into bone, or the hardening of something into a rigid state.
Did you know?Its core comes from Latin os, ossis, meaning “bone,” so the word has always carried the eerie sense of matter locking itself into a permanent, hardened form.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ost-
“Bone”
Latin
Latin
os, ossis
“Bone”
Late Latin
Latin
ossificare
“To turn into bone; to harden”
Middle French
Old French
ossification
“The act or process of ossifying”
Modern English
English
ossification
“The process of becoming bone or hardening into a rigid state”