tissue

American  

[tish-oo, tis-yoo] / ˈtɪʃ u, ˈtɪs ju /

noun

• tissues
  plural

1. Biology. an aggregate of similar cells and cell products forming a definite kind of structural material with a specific function, in a multicellular organism.

2. tissue paper.

3. any of several kinds of soft gauzy papers used for various purposes.

   cleansing tissue; toilet tissue.

4. an interwoven or interconnected series or mass.

   a tissue of falsehoods.

5. a piece of thin writing paper on which carbon copies are made.

6. a woven fabric, especially one of light or gauzy texture, originally woven with gold or silver.

   a blouse of a delicate tissue.

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verb (used with object)

tissued, tissuing

1. to remove (a cosmetic or cream) with a facial tissue (often followed byoff ).

   Tissue all cosmetics off the face before going to bed.

2. to weave, especially with threads of gold and silver.

tissue British  

/ ˈtɪʃuː, ˈtɪsjuː /

noun

1. a part of an organism consisting of a large number of cells having a similar structure and function

   connective tissue

   nerve tissue

2. a thin piece of soft absorbent paper, usually of two or more layers, used as a disposable handkerchief, towel, etc

3. See tissue paper

4. an interwoven series

   a tissue of lies

5. a woven cloth, esp of a light gauzy nature, originally interwoven with threads of gold or silver

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verb

1. rare to weave into tissue

2. to decorate or clothe with tissue or tissue paper

tissue Scientific  

/ tĭsh′o̅o̅ /

1. A large mass of similar cells that make up a part of an organism and perform a specific function. The internal organs and connective structures (including bone and cartilage) of vertebrates, and cambium, xylem, and phloem in plants are made up of different types of tissue.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intertissued
  adjective
• tissual
  adjective
• tissuey
  adjective
• untissued
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tissues
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tissue tissues tissued

Instead of efficiently replacing damaged components and preserving healthy tissue, aging muscle cells become increasingly burdened by proteins that should have been cleared away.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The researchers were able to investigate this question using brain tissue donated by a former Alzheimer's clinical trial participant.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

The tissue was provided to the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sweet carefully transfers the delicate tissue onto a glass slide, where selected cellular structures are stained to make them easier to distinguish under a powerful microscope.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Ms. Habibi handed him a tissue from an invisible supply she must have been carrying in her pocket.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

By removing carbon from the air and locking it away in plant tissues, leaves help cool the planet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Powerful laser microscopy revealed the mechanism: after a day or two of contact, the corals' tissues began fusing, creating a "nutrient highway" between the pair.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The Mayo Clinic says a subarachnoid hemorrhage is a type of stroke that involves bleeding in the space between the brain and the tissues that cover the brain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Mitochondrial diseases are particularly harmful to organs and tissues that require large amounts of energy, including the brain and muscles.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

“British royalty always carry crumpled tissues with them. They call them handkerchiefs.”

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

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 William Cowper

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 Isaac Disraeli

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 Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull

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 Isaac Disraeli

“Her Maiestie doth straightly charge and command— “That none under the degree of a Countess wear: Cloth of gold or silver tissued; Silke of coulor purple.

From The Art of Needle-work, from the Earliest Ages, 3rd ed. Including Some Notices of the Ancient Historical Tapestries by Sutherland Menzies

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