suture

American  

[soo-cher] / ˈsu tʃər /

noun

1. Surgery.

   1. a joining of the lips or edges of a wound or the like by stitching or some similar process.

   2. a particular method of doing this.

   3. one of the stitches or fastenings employed.

2. Anatomy.

   1. the line of junction of two bones, especially of the skull, in an immovable articulation.

   2. the articulation itself.

3. Zoology, Botany. the junction or line of junction of contiguous parts, as the line of closure between the valves of a bivalve shell, a seam where carpels of a pericarp join, etc.

4. a seam as formed in sewing; a line of junction between two parts.

5. a sewing together or a joining as by sewing.

---

verb (used with object)

sutured, suturing

1. to unite by or as by a suture.

suture British  

/ ˈsuːtʃə /

noun

1. surgery

   1. catgut, silk thread, or wire used to stitch together two bodily surfaces

   2. Also called: seam.  the surgical seam formed after joining two surfaces

2. anatomy a type of immovable joint, esp between the bones of the skull ( cranial suture )

3. a seam or joining, as in sewing

4. zoology a line of junction in a mollusc shell, esp the line between adjacent chambers of a nautiloid shell

5. botany a line marking the point of dehiscence in a seed pod or capsule

---

verb

1. (tr) surgery to join (the edges of a wound, etc) by means of sutures

Other Word Forms

• presutural adjective
• sutural adjective
• suturally adverb
• unsutured adjective

Etymology

Origin of suture

1535–45; < Latin sūtūra seam, suture, equivalent to sūt ( us ) (past participle of suere to sew ¹ ) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

If your energetic dog gets his paws on your beloved teddy bear, and you don’t realize it until it’s too late, you might have to use a needle and thread to suture Teddy’s left arm back onto his body. Derived from the Latin sutura, which means “a sewing together,” the word suture can function as both a verb and a noun. Teddy’s situation aside, this word almost always refers to stitches performed on the human body. To suture is to stitch up a wound or incision. When used as a noun, it can refer to either the thread used for the stitching or the seam that is created by this process.

Example Sentences

"There'll be rapid tests, suture kits, syringes, oxygen supplies, vaccines and a small fridge for storing medicines," it explained in a statement.

From BBC • May 5, 2025

“The theory is that the internal brace suture and the repaired native ligament will share the load of the new graft as the graft is maturing,” ElAttrache said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2024

Veterinarians rehydrate it with saline solution before surgery, then lay it over a dog's corneal lesion and suture it into place, where it acts as scaffolding for regenerating cells.

From Scientific American • Oct. 1, 2023

The unexpected finding led the team to hypothesize that another type of bone-forming stem cell was driving the abnormal suture fusion.

From Science Daily • Sep. 20, 2023

"Go back upstairs and get Dr. Sokel and tell him to bring some tweezers, disinfectant, and suture material. Move it!"

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Related Words

• stitch