[os-tee-uh-sahyt] 
| a cell of osseous tissue within the bone matrix; a bone cell. |
| os·te·o·cyte (ŏs'tē-ə-sīt') n. A branched cell embedded in the matrix of bone tissue. |
osteocyte os·te·o·cyte (ŏs'tē-ə-sīt')
n.
A branched cell embedded in the matrix of bone tissue.
osteocyte
a cell that lies within the substance of fully formed bone. It occupies a small chamber called a lacuna, which is contained in the calcified matrix of bone. Osteocytes derive from osteoblasts, or bone-forming cells, and are essentially osteoblasts surrounded by the products they secreted. Cytoplasmic processes of the osteocyte extend away from the cell toward other osteocytes in small channels called canaliculi. By means of these canaliculi, nutrients and waste products are exchanged to maintain the viability of the osteocyte.
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