epithelium

[ ep-uh-thee-lee-uhm ]

/ ˌɛp əˈθi li əm /

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noun, plural ep·i·the·li·ums, ep·i·the·li·a

[ep-uh-thee-lee-uh]. /ˌɛp əˈθi li ə/. Biology.

any animal tissue that covers a surface, or lines a cavity or the like, and that, in addition, performs any of various secretory, transporting, or regulatory functions.

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Origin of epithelium

1740–50; <New Latin <Greek epi-epi- + thēl(ḗ) teat + New Latin -ium-ium

OTHER WORDS FROM epithelium

ep·i·the·li·al, adjectivein·ter·ep·i·the·li·al, adjectivenon·ep·i·the·li·al, adjectivesub·ep·i·the·li·al, adjective

un·ep·i·the·li·al, adjective

Words nearby epithelium

epithelioma, epithelioma adenoides cysticum, epithelioma cuniculatum, epitheliomatous, epitheliomuscular, epithelium, epithelization, epithet, epitome, epitomist, epitomize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use epithelium in a sentence

One possible way is that the virus could damage the cells in the olfactory epithelium, which is a patch of skin containing smell receptors that convert stimuli into signals for the brain.
Some people still can’t smell or taste a year after COVID|Maggie Galloway|January 18, 2022|Popular-Science
They always imply desquamation of epithelium, which rarely occurs except in parenchymatous inflammations (Figs. 60 and 61).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The finely granular variety is the least significant, and is found when the epithelium is only moderately affected.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Granular and fatty casts, therefore, always indicate partial or complete disintegration of the renal epithelium.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

The surface epithelial cells of a stratified epithelium are also of this type (fig. 4).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
It occurs as the covering epithelium of the alveoli of the lung, of the kidney glomerules and capsule, &c.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for epithelium

epithelium

/ (ˌɛpɪˈθiːlɪəm) /

noun plural -liums or -lia (-lɪə)

an animal tissue consisting of one or more layers of closely packed cells covering the external and internal surfaces of the body. The cells vary in structure according to their function, which may be protective, secretory, or absorptive

Derived forms of epithelium

epithelial, adjective

Word Origin for epithelium

C18: New Latin, from epi- + Greek thēlē nipple

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

Medical definitions for epithelium

epithelium

[ ĕp′ə-thē′lē-əm ]

n. pl. ep•i•the•li•a (-lē-ə)

Membranous tissue composed of one or more layers of cells separated by very little intercellular substance and forming the covering of most internal and external surfaces of the body and its organs.

Other words from epithelium

ep′i•the′li•al adj.

Scientific definitions for epithelium

epithelium

[ ĕp′ə-thē′lē-əm ]

Plural epithelia

The thin, membranous tissue that lines most of the internal and external surfaces of an animal's body. Epithelium is composed of one or more layers of densely packed cells. In vertebrates, it lines the outer layer of the skin (epidermis), the surface of most body cavities, and the lumen of fluid-filled organs, such as the gut or intestine.

Other words from epithelium

epithelial adjective