ˈäsəˌfī verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: probably from (assumed) New Latin ossificare, from Latin ossi- + -ficare -fy
intransitive verb
1. : to form or be transformed into bone
additional cartilages ossify with age
2. : to become callous or hardened : become set in a conventional pattern
so easy for the mind to ossify and generous ideals to end in stale platitudes — John Buchan
transitive verb
1. : to change (as cartilage) into bone
osteoblasts ossify the tissue
2. : to make callous, rigid, or inactive : mold firmly in a conventional pattern : harden
guilds that won freedom by combination and then ossified it into monopoly — D.C.Coyle