Osteocyte
/ˈɒs.ti.ə.saɪt/noun
A mature bone cell embedded in bone tissue.
Did you know?The -cyte ending comes from Greek kytos, meaning ‘hollow vessel’ or ‘cell,’ the same root behind many scientific terms for living containers.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
osteon
“bone”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kytos
“hollow vessel; container”
19th Century
New Latin
osteocytus
“bone cell”
19th Century
English
osteocyte
“a bone cell”
Modern English
English
osteocyte
“a mature bone cell embedded in bone tissue”