metapophysis
/mɛtəˈpɒfɪsɪs/Zoology and Anatomy
noun
An accessory process or prominence on certain vertebrae; (Anatomy ) a rounded prominence on the superior articular process of the lumbar and twelfth thoracic vertebrae (also called mammillary process).
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Richard Owen (1804–1892), comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. From meta- + apophysis. Compare earlier haemapophysis, neurapophysis.