tissue

[ tish-oo or, especially British, tis-yoo ]
See synonyms for tissue on Thesaurus.com
noun
  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.

  1. any of several kinds of soft gauzy papers used for various purposes: cleansing tissue; toilet tissue.

  2. an interwoven or interconnected series or mass: a tissue of falsehoods.

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

  4. 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),tis·sued, tis·su·ing.
  1. to remove (a cosmetic or cream) with a facial tissue (often followed by off): Tissue all cosmetics off the face before going to bed.

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

Origin of tissue

1
1325–75; Middle English tissew, variant of tissu<Middle French, Old French, noun use of past participle of tistre to weave <Latin texere

Other words from tissue

  • tis·su·al, adjective
  • tis·su·ey, adjective
  • in·ter·tis·sued, adjective
  • un·tis·sued, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tissue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tissue

tissue

/ (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

  1. an interwoven series: a tissue of lies

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

verb(tr)
  1. rare to weave into tissue

  2. to decorate or clothe with tissue or tissue paper

Origin of tissue

1
C14: from Old French tissu woven cloth, from tistre to weave, from Latin texere

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for tissue

tissue

[ tĭshōō ]


  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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.