Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Tissue?

\Tis"sue\, n. [F. tissu, fr. tissu, p. p. of tisser, tistre, to weave, fr. L. texere. See {Text}.] 1. A woven fabric. 2. A fine transparent silk stuff, used for veils, etc.; specifically, cloth interwoven with gold or silver threads, or embossed with figures. A robe of tissue, stiff with golden wire. --Dryden. In their glittering tissues bear emblazed Holy memorials. --Milton. 3. (Biol.) One of the elementary materials or fibres, having a uniform structure and a specialized function, of which ordinary animals and plants are composed; a texture; as, epithelial tissue; connective tissue. Note: The term tissue is also often applied in a wider sense to all the materials or elementary tissues, differing in structure and function, which go to make up an organ; as, vascular tissue, tegumentary tissue, etc. 4. Fig.: Web; texture; complicated fabrication; connected series; as, a tissue of forgeries, or of falsehood. Unwilling to leave the dry bones of Agnosticism wholly unclothed with any living tissue of religious emotion. --A. J. Balfour. {Tissue paper}, very thin, gauzelike paper, used for protecting engravings in books, for wrapping up delicate articles, etc.
\Tis"sue\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tissued}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tissuing}.] To form tissue of; to interweave. Covered with cloth of gold tissued upon blue. --Bacon.