Meaning

4 senses
  1. (ambitransitive)To transform (or cause to transform) from a softer animal substance into bone; particularly the processes of growth in humans and animals.

    костенетьkostenetʹ, превраща́ть в костьprevraščátʹ v kostʹ, превраща́ться в костьprevraščátʹsja v kostʹ

    костенітиkostenity, перетворюватися на кісткуperetvorjuvatysja na kistku, перетворювати на кісткуperetvorjuvaty na kistku

  2. (ambitransitive, animate)To become (or cause to become) inflexible and rigid in habits or opinions.

    черстветьčerstvetʹ, грубетьgrubetʹ, ожесточатьožestočatʹ

    черствітиčerstvity, ставати консервативнимstavaty konservatyvnym

    cause to become hard and bony

  3. (ambitransitive, inanimate)To grow (or cause to grow) formulaic and permanent.

    закріплятисяzakripljatysja

  4. (rare)To calcify.

Examples

1 sentences
  1. To be overwise is to ossify; and the scruple-monger ends by standing stockstill.

Translations

8 languages
Українська
By meaning 3
to transform into bone:
to become inflexible in habits or opinions:
to grow formulaic and permanent:
Русский
By meaning 2
to transform into bone:
to become inflexible in habits or opinions:

Origin

Back-formation from ossification, or modeled on French ossifier and formed from Latin os,

Back-formation from ossification, or modeled on French ossifier and formed from Latin os, ossis (“bone”) + -ify.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

ossifies, ossifying, ossified, ossified
Base formossify · to ossify
3rd person singularossifies
Present participleossifying
Past simpleossified
Past participleossified

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyossify
he, she, itossifies

Past simpleLesson

all personsossified

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave ossified
he, she, ithas ossified

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill ossify

Synonyms

3 synonyms
Close in meaning

Antonyms

1 antonyms

Word family

6 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
ossify — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto