Ossifications

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of converting cartilage into bone tissue during development or healing
2. the formation of bony deposits in soft tissues, often due to injury
3. the gradual and often rigid establishment of habits, beliefs, or societal norms

Etymology: "Ossifications" is simply the plural of "ossification," so this entry is about the noun's plural form. The base word traces to Latin "os," meaning "bone," with the suffix "-ification," which turns a verb into a noun for a process or result. The noun is therefore a formation built on the Latin stem rather than a word that came into English through a complicated route. The verb "ossify" is the more familiar form, and the noun was recorded earlier than the verb, which runs against the usual pattern where a verb comes first and the noun follows from it. Ossification has long been used in medicine for the hardening of soft tissue into bone, and the plural refers to multiple such deposits, as in cases of injury or repeated trauma.