apophysis
A`poph´y`sis
Noun 1. apophysis - (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
botany, phytology - the branch of biology that studies plants
plant process, enation - a natural projection or outgrowth from a plant body or organ
2. apophysis - (anatomy) a natural outgrowth or projection on an organ or part such as the process of a vertebra
vertebra - one of the bony segments of the spinal column
appendage, outgrowth, process - a natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant; "a bony process"
anatomy, general anatomy - the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals