intima

American  

[in-tuh-muh] / ˈɪn tə mə /

noun

Anatomy.

• intimae
  plural

1. the innermost membrane or lining of some organ or part, especially that of an artery, vein, or lymphatic.

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intima British  

/ ˈɪntɪmə /

noun

1. anatomy zoology the innermost layer of an organ or part, esp of a blood vessel

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intimal
  adjective
• subintimal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intimae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intima

1870–75; < New Latin, noun use of feminine of Latin intimus, intumus inmost, equivalent to in- in- ² + -timus superlative suffix; cf. optimal, ultimate

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intima

These mimic the layered structure of the native vascular wall, which, from inside out, is composed of the tunica intima, tunica media and tunica adventitia tissues.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2024

Farther from the heart, where the surge of blood has dampened, the percentage of elastic fibers in an artery’s tunica intima decreases and the amount of smooth muscle in its tunica media increases.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The tunica intima is a thin layer composed of a simple squamous epithelium known as endothelium and a small amount of connective tissue.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Explains Keys: As the fatty protein molecules travel in the bloodstream, they are deposited in the intima, or inner wall of a coronary artery.

From Time Magazine Archive

By the fifth decade the connective tissue deposits in the intima are marked, there is an increase of fibrous tissue upon the medial side of the intima and, in lesser degree, throughout the media.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Louis Marshall Warfield