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Glite Dictionary
interstitial tissue

interstitial tissue

7.4
Soft material between the cells inside an organ that helps support it
  • noun
  • /ˌɪntərˈstɪʃəl ˈtɪʃu/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tejido intersticial
  • In plants, interstitial tissue helps support the structure by filling spaces between cells.

Examples

  • "We're looking for interstitial tissue," he jokingly remarked, "to help bridge the gap between the university and the schoolroom."

    Academic text (1992)

  • In this case, the airways and blood vessels are spared, and proliferative lymphatics were located in the pleura rather than in the pulmonary interstitial tissue.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The scientist examined the interstitial tissue between the muscle cells for signs of damage.

  • Doctors often study interstitial tissue to understand how diseases affect organs.

Synonyms

interstitium
vsinterstitial tissue
  • Specialized
9.9

Space or tissue between the cells inside an organ

is the material found between cells in a structure or part
intercellular substance
vsinterstitial tissue
  • Specialized
7.0

Material between cells that supports them

is about the location between cells within a body part rather than supporting material

Surface Forms

interstitial tissue singular
interstitial tissues plural

Morphology

interstitial + tissue

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'interstitial' means 'in the tiny spaces between structures' and 'tissue' means 'a group of cells', so together they straightforwardly denote tissue located between structures or cells. Although somewhat technical, the adjective+noun combination follows normal English composition and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Interstitial tissue is a name that shows its meaning: inter- means 'between' and tissue means body material, so it is the thin material that sits in the spaces between cells and helps support organs.