ground substance
Americannoun
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Also called matrix. the homogeneous substance in which the fibers and cells of connective tissue are embedded.
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Also called hyaloplasm. the clear portion of the cell cytoplasm; cytosol.
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The intercellular material in which the cells and fibers of connective tissue are embedded, composed largely of glycosaminoglycans, metabolites, water, and ions.
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The clear, fluid portion of cytoplasm as distinguished from the organelles and other cell components.
Etymology
Origin of ground substance
First recorded in 1880–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
All of these fiber types are embedded in ground substance.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Secreted by fibroblasts, ground substance is made of polysaccharides, specifically hyaluronic acid, and proteins.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
The enzyme injected into the disc breaks down the ground substance, enabling it and the water to escape and be absorbed by the body.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
