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Glite Dictionary
apophyseal

apophyseal

9.9
Related to a small bony part that sticks out from a bone
  • adjective
  • /ˌæpəˈfizəl/
  • Specialized
: apofisario
  • The growth plate at the end of the bone is known to be an apophyseal structure.

Examples

  • The highest incidence of pelvic avulsion fractures occurs in boys between the ages of 12 and 14 years just prior to apophyseal closure (Sunder & Carty, 1994).

    Academic text (2006)

  • The doctor explained that the child's knee pain was due to apophyseal stress from playing sports.

  • Many athletes experience injuries as their bodies develop apophyseal growths during puberty.

Surface Forms

apophyseal positive

Morphology

apophyseal = apophysis (semi-transparent) = apophysis + eal

The adjective is transparently formed from the noun 'apophysis' plus an adjective-forming suffix, but the base is a specialized anatomical term and the spelling is not fully obvious to learners.

Etymology

Apophyseal comes from Greek parts apo- meaning 'away' and physis meaning 'growth', so it originally meant a 'growth away' from something. That's why apophyseal describes a natural bony 'outgrowth' or 'bump' on a bone.