histology
Americannoun
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the branch of biology dealing with the study of tissues.
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the structure, especially the microscopic structure, of organic tissues.
noun
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the study, esp the microscopic study, of the tissues of an animal or plant
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the structure of a tissue or organ
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of histology
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."
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.
Using bone histology, or the study of fossilized bone microstructure, the team analyzed this small throat bone and identified growth patterns that indicate the animal had reached or was close to full maturity.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
Then came the gut punch: “The histology confirmed grade 4 glioblastoma, or GBM.”
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
It typically takes six to eight weeks to complete a full autopsy report, allowing for toxicology and histology tests to be completed.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024
But a provisional cause of death was not done "pending further investigation of histology and toxicology".
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2023
The book was filled with complicated sentences explaining Henrietta’s cells by saying, “its atypical histology may correlate with the unusually malignant behavior of the carcinoma,” and something about the “correlate of the tumor’s singularity.”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
