tissue
Americannoun
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Biology. an aggregate of similar cells and cell products forming a definite kind of structural material with a specific function, in a multicellular organism.
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any of several kinds of soft gauzy papers used for various purposes.
cleansing tissue; toilet tissue.
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an interwoven or interconnected series or mass.
a tissue of falsehoods.
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a piece of thin writing paper on which carbon copies are made.
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a woven fabric, especially one of light or gauzy texture, originally woven with gold or silver.
a blouse of a delicate tissue.
verb (used with object)
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to remove (a cosmetic or cream) with a facial tissue (often followed byoff ).
Tissue all cosmetics off the face before going to bed.
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to weave, especially with threads of gold and silver.
noun
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a part of an organism consisting of a large number of cells having a similar structure and function
connective tissue
nerve tissue
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a thin piece of soft absorbent paper, usually of two or more layers, used as a disposable handkerchief, towel, etc
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See tissue paper
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an interwoven series
a tissue of lies
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a woven cloth, esp of a light gauzy nature, originally interwoven with threads of gold or silver
verb
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rare to weave into tissue
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to decorate or clothe with tissue or tissue paper
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tissue
1325–75; Middle English tissew, variant of tissu < Middle French, Old French, noun use of past participle of tistre to weave < Latin texere
Explanation
Tissue is part of the body of a living thing that is made of similar cells, like the cardiac tissue of your heart. A tissue is also a soft, thin piece of paper used for wiping noses and tear drops. The noun tissue comes from the Old French word tissu, meaning “a ribbon, or belt of woven material.” In fact, as a verb, tissue means "weave fabric strands." Today, we think of tissues as the disposable paper for blowing our noses or packing presents. A different kind of tissue is found in the body — the groups of cells that have the same job, like scar tissue that protects a wound as it heals.
Vocabulary lists containing tissue
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
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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:
Von Hagens, an anatomist, lecturer and entrepreneur nicknamed "Dr Death," in the 1970s invented the plastination process, which involves removing water and fat from human and animal tissue and replacing them with chemical compounds.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Sometimes known as "Doctor Death", he became famous for developing a technique called plastination, by which fluids and fatty tissue in corpses are replaced by rubber and polymers.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Fat tissue is often viewed as something the body would be better off without.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Over time, severe gum disease can destroy the tissue and bone that hold teeth in place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
All together, the cortex is a soft mass of folded nerve tissue.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Awuche was eventually diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, which affects the body's connective tissues.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ed Lee is an Orlando-based endocrinologist who is hopeful for compounding approvals, especially for BPC-157, which is popular in the wellness community for its purported ability to repair tissues, including muscles and ligaments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Meningitis is the swelling of the meninges, the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Although reactive oxygen species play useful roles in normal cell signaling and immune defenses, excessive production can damage tissues and increase oxidative stress.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
Fear engulfed Ben, its talons sliding down the tissues of his belly.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Was it only a glamour, tissued of myth and of legend, that lay on the face of the waters, dazzling her eyes?
From The Royal Pawn of Venice A Romance of Cyprus by Turnbull, Lawrence, Mrs.
So saying, he number’d carefully the gold, The vases, tripods bright, and tissued robes, 260 But nothing miss’d of all.
From The Odyssey of Homer by Cowper, William
The higher guests approach a room of state, Where tissued couches all around were set Labour’d with art; o’er ivory tables thrown, Embroider’d carpets fell in folds adown.
From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Disraeli, Isaac
What idea is conveyed to your mind by the expressions, "orb'd in a rainbow," "like glories wearing," "thron'd in celestiall sheen," "the tissued clouds down stearing," etc.?
From Six Centuries of English Poetry Tennyson to Chaucer by Baldwin, James
I consider the following lines as strictly copied by Thomas Warton: The daring artist Explored the pangs that rend the royal breast, Those wounds that lurk beneath the tissued vest.
From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 2 by Disraeli, Isaac
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.
