Osteoblast
/ˈɒs.ti.ə.blæst/noun
A cell that produces new bone tissue.
Did you know?The second half comes from Ancient Greek blastos, meaning “germ,” “bud,” or “sprout,” a metaphor ancient physicians used for embryonic growth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ost-
“Bone”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀστέον (osteon)
“Bone”
Ancient Greek
Greek
βλαστός (blastos)
“Sprout, bud, germ, or something that grows”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
osteoblastus
“A bone-forming cell; literally a bone-sprout”
1870s
English
osteoblast
“A cell that forms bone tissue”
Modern English
English
osteoblast
“A specialized cell responsible for producing and mineralizing new bone”