Osteoclast
(redirected from osteophage)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical.
osteoclast
[′äs·tē·ə‚klast] (histology)
A large multinuclear cell associated with bone resorption.
(medicine)
A large surgical apparatus through which leverage can be exerted to effect osteoclasis.
Osteoclast
a cell that is involved in the destruction and resorption of bone tissue in vertebrate animals and man. An osteoclast contains from three to several dozen nuclei and a great many lysosomes, whose hydrolytic enzymes upon release from the osteoclasts resorb the mineral matrix of bone and calcified cartilage.