noun
- Plural of epiphysis; the rounded ends of long bones that are initially separated from the shaft by cartilage and later fuse with it during growth.
Usage: anatomy; medical
Examples
- The epiphyses of the femur are the last to fuse in adolescence.
- X-rays revealed that the patient's epiphyses had not yet closed.
- Growth occurs at the epiphyses during childhood and teenage years.
- The epiphyses are separated from the diaphysis by the epiphyseal plate.
- Damage to the epiphyses during a fracture can affect future bone growth.