ossify

present singular third person ossifies · participle present ossifying · participle past ossified · past ossified

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

   […], nor do all bones of the same skeleton ossify during the samе period of time.

   1884, Arthur C. Cole, Studies in Microscopical Science, page 35

   Antonyms: deossify

2. ambitransitiveanimateTo become (or cause to become) inflexible and rigid in habits or opinions.

   Before long, the entire organization ossifies.

   1996, Peter Schwartz, The Art of the Long View, →ISBN, page 96

   1 more example

   Possession of absolute knowledge would ossify the human spirit, quenching human creativity;

   2006, Michael S. Jones, Metaphysics of Religion: Lucian Blaga and Contemporary Philosophy, →ISBN, page 79

   Synonyms: harden

3. ambitransitiveinanimateTo grow (or cause to grow) formulaic and permanent.

   [T]he charge threatens to ossify into conventional wisdom before the movie's audience can get to theaters to see how misguided it is.

   2005 December 20, Michelle Goldberg, “The war on 'Munich'”, in Salon.com, archived from the original on 06 Mar 2008

   2 more examples

   This accidental repartition gets repeated, develops advantages of its own, and gradually ossifies into a systematic division of labour.

   1886, Samuel Moore, “Chapter 14”, in Capital, volume I, translation of original by Karl Marx

   Now, in turn, we apply a revolutionary critique that […] ossifies into a rhetoric to become "the monstrous Latin of a monstrous church."

   2001, Kevin O'Neill, David Suchoff, The Wisdom of Love, translation of original by Alain Finkielkraut, →ISBN, page 55

4. rareTo calcify.

   The cartilages become brittle, and in many instances are ossified; the ligaments are rendered harder, but are less capable of resisting extension.

   1850, Roxey Ann Caplin, “Chapter X”, in Health and Beauty