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.
| ossification (ŏs'ə-fĭ-kā'shən) The process of bone formation, brought about by the action of specialized bone cells called osteoclasts, which absorb old bone tissue, and osteoblasts, which form from osteoclasts and produce new bone tissue. This remodeling of bone is a constant process that maintains bone strength. See more at osteoblast, osteoclast. |
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