ossification

os·si·fi·ca·tion   (ŏs'ə-fĭ-kā'shən)    n.   The natural process of bone formation. The hardening or calcification of soft tissue into a bonelike material. A mass or deposit of such material. The process of becoming set in a rigidly conventional pattern, as of behavior, habits, or beliefs. Rigid, unimaginative convention. The process of becoming set in a rigidly conventional pattern, as of behavior, habits, or beliefs. Rigid, unimaginative convention.

ossification 

Main Entry: os·si·fi·ca·tion
Pronunciation: "äs-&-f&-'kA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 a : the process of boneformation usually beginning at particular centers in each prospective bone and involving the activities of special osteoblasts that segregate and deposit inorganic bone substance about themselves—compare CALCIFICATION a b : an instance of this process
2 a : the conditionof being altered into a hard bony substance <ossification of the muscular tissue> b : a mass or particle of ossified tissue : a calcareous deposit in the tissues<ossifications in the aortic wall> —os·si·fi·ca·to·ry /'äs-&-f&-k&-"tOr-E, -"tor-; esp Brit"äs-&-f&-'kAt-(&-)rE/ adjective

ossification os·si·fi·ca·tion (ŏs'ə-fĭ-kā'shən)
n.

1. The natural process of bone formation.

2. The hardening or calcification of soft tissue into a bonelike material.

3. A mass or deposit of such material.

ossification

process by which new bone is produced. Ossification begins about the third month of fetal life in humans and is completed by late adolescence. The process takes two general forms, one for compact bone, which makes up roughly 80 percent of the skeleton, and the other for cancellous bone, including parts of the skull, the shoulder blades, and the ends of the long bones

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