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Synonyms

histology

American  
[hi-stol-uh-jee] / hɪˈstɒl ə dʒi /

noun

  1. the branch of biology dealing with the study of tissues.

  2. the structure, especially the microscopic structure, of organic tissues.


histology British  
/ hɪˈstɒlədʒɪ, ˌhɪstəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

  1. the study, esp the microscopic study, of the tissues of an animal or plant

  2. the structure of a tissue or organ

"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

histology Scientific  
/ hĭ-stŏlə-jē /
  1. The scientific study of the microscopic structure of plant and animal tissues.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of histology

First recorded in 1840–50; histo- + -logy

Explanation

Histology is the scientific study of the tiniest cells that make up plants and animals. If you're interested in histology, you need to get a microscope. Some biologists are most fascinated with the microscopic — so small they're invisible without a microscope — details of organisms. These scientists study histology, examining the cells of plant and animal tissues. While the Greek root of the word histology is histo, or "anything that stands upright," it is used in medical terminology to talk about tissues. The Greek suffix ology simply means "branch of science."

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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.

See Examples For:

To reliably reconstruct the biology of long-extinct species, the team argues, researchers should look at multiple lines of evidence, including skeletal anatomy, bone histology, the behaviour of living relatives, and trace fossils.

From Science Daily Apr. 29, 2024

“Hospital records, police reports, reports from their own investigators, toxicology, histology reports,” McIntyre said, “and obviously autopsy findings.”

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 30, 2024

But a provisional cause of death was not done "pending further investigation of histology and toxicology".

From BBC Mar. 17, 2023

Additional test results for toxicology and histology could take another month.

From Fox News Jan. 11, 2022

To the extent that fetal hormones affect brain chemistry and histology, I’ve got a male brain.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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