ground substance

American  

noun

Biology.

1. Also called matrix.  the homogeneous substance in which the fibers and cells of connective tissue are embedded.

2. Also called hyaloplasm.  the clear portion of the cell cytoplasm; cytosol.

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ground substance Scientific  

1. The intercellular material in which the cells and fibers of connective tissue are embedded, composed largely of glycosaminoglycans, metabolites, water, and ions.

2. The clear, fluid portion of cytoplasm as distinguished from the organelles and other cell components.

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Etymology

Origin of ground substance

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Polysaccharides and proteins secreted by fibroblasts combine with extra-cellular fluids to produce a viscous ground substance that, with embedded fibrous proteins, forms the extra-cellular matrix.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The proteoglycan attracts and traps available moisture forming the clear, viscous, colorless matrix you now know as ground substance.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Bone matrix consists of collagen fibers and organic ground substance, primarily hydroxyapatite formed from calcium salts.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Spinal discs, cushionlike pads that separate the vertebrae, are composed of tough, cartilaginous fibers and filled with water and a protein called "ground substance."

From Time Magazine Archive

GELATIN, or Gelatine, the substance which passes into solution when “collagen,” the ground substance of bone, cartilage and white fibrous tissue, is treated with boiling water 555 or dilute acids.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various