apophysis

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Anatomy A natural swelling, projection, or outgrowth of an organ or part, such as the process of a vertebra.
2. n. Geology A branch from a dike or vein.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In anatomy: Any process of bone; an out-growth of bone; a mere projection or protuberance, which has no independent ossific center, and is thus distinguished from an epiphysis (which see); specifically, any process of a vertebra, whether it has such a center, and thus is epiphysial in nature, or not: in the former case, a vertebral apophysis is called autogenous or endogenous; in the latter, exogenous. A process or outgrowth of some organ of the body, as the brain: as, apophysis cerebri, the pituitary body. See cut under brain. In chitons, a process of one of the plates, inserted into the mantle. The principal vertebral apophyses are distinguished as anapophysis, diapophysis, epapophysis, hemapophysis, hypapophysis, metapophysis, neurapophysis, parapophysis, pleurapophysis, and zygapophysis. See these words.
2. n. In botany, a swelling under the base of the theca or spore-case of some mosses, as in species of Splachnum. See cut under Andreæa.
3. n. In geology, a term applied to the arms which often extend outward in a horizontal direction from the main mass or dike of an intrusive igneous rock.
4. n. In architecture, same as apophyge.

Wiktionary

1. n. anatomy A natural outgrowth, swelling or enlargement, usually of an organism; A protuberance on a bone.
2. n. geology A branch of a dike or vein

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Anat.) A marked prominence or process on any part of a bone.
2. n. (Bot.) An enlargement at the top of a pedicel or stem, as seen in certain mosses.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. (botany) a natural swelling or enlargement: at the base of the stalk or seta in certain mosses or on the cone scale of certain conifers
2. n. (anatomy) a natural outgrowth or projection on an organ or body part such as the process of a vertebra