connective tissue


nounAnatomy.
  1. a tissue, usually of mesoblastic origin, that connects, supports, or surrounds other tissues, organs, etc.

Origin of connective tissue

1
First recorded in 1880–85

Words Nearby connective tissue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use connective tissue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for connective tissue

connective tissue

noun
  1. an animal tissue developed from the embryonic mesoderm that consists of collagen or elastic fibres, fibroblasts, fatty cells, etc, within a jelly-like matrix. It supports organs, fills the spaces between them, and forms tendons and ligaments

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for connective tissue

connective tissue

[ kə-nĕktĭv ]


  1. Tissue that connects, supports, binds, or encloses the structures of the body. Connective tissues are made up of cells embedded in an extracellular matrix and include bones, cartilage, mucous membranes, fat, and blood.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for connective tissue

connective tissue

Body tissue that serves to connect or support other tissues or parts. Cartilage, tendons, and bone are all kinds of connective tissue.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.