tissue

noun, verb — 10 senses

tissue

noun

UK /ˈtɪs.juː/ · US /ˈtɪʃ.(j)u/

Etymology From Middle English tissu, from Old French tissu (“woven”), past participle of tistre (“to weave”), from Latin texō (“to weave”).

8 senses
  1. 1Thin, woven, gauzelike fabric.
  2. 2A fine transparent silk material, used for veils, etc.…
  3. 3A sheet of absorbent paper, especially one that is made…
  4. 4Absorbent paper as material.
  5. 5A group of cells (along with their extracellular matrix…
  6. 6Web; texture; complicated fabrication; connected series.
  7. 7The scratch sheet or racing form.
  8. 8A cigarette paper.
1

Thin, woven, gauzelike fabric.

  • Madame Legarde, the "glass of fashion and the nurse of form," (alias the most fashionable of milliners,) has comfortably assured me, "that my figure has great merit, and only requires cultivation:" this is to be done by tissues, brocades, and laces, which are now scattered round me in charming confusion.1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 65–66:
  • The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue.1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 214:
2

A fine transparent silk material, used for veils, etc.; specifically, cloth interwoven with gold or silver threads, or embossed with figures.

  • A Robe of Tiſſue, ſtiff with golden Wire; / An upper Veſt, once Hellen’s rich Attire; [...]1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 228, lines 915–916:
  • In their glittering tissues bear emblazed / Holy memorials.1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
1 more example
  • Corinius went on the right, wearing a rich cloak of sky-blue tissue over his shining armour.1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 20:
3

A sheet of absorbent paper, especially one that is made to be used as tissue paper, toilet paper or a handkerchief.

4

Absorbent paper as material.

5

Biology, Natural sciences A group of cells (along with their extracellular matrix if any) that are similar in origin and function together to perform a specific job.

  • What they lack is outermost brain tissue that, at least in humans, prompts awareness and interpretation.2014, Robert K. Bolger, Scott Korb, Gesturing Toward Reality: David Foster Wallace and Philosophy:
6

Web; texture; complicated fabrication; connected series.

  • a tissue of forgeries, or of lies
  • unwilling to leave the dry bones of Agnosticism wholly unclothed with any living tissue of religious emotion1888, A. J. Balfour, The Religion of Humanity:
7

Hobbies, Horse racing, Horseracing, Horses, Lifestyle, Pets, Racing, Sports Slang The scratch sheet or racing form.

  • Pricing the first show is a matter of the bookmaker's individual judgment, relying upon advice from all quarters, particularly the tissue; but very soon in the betting exchanges it becomes clear that the sole criterion for the fixing of a horse's price is demand.2016, Gerald Hammond, The Language of Horse Racing:
8

Tasmania, Informal A cigarette paper.

Derived terms
44 termsadipose tissue, antitissue, bathroom tissue, bath tissue, biotissue, bone tissue, cloth of tissue, conjunctive tissue, connective tissue, deep tissue, epithelial tissue, facial tissue, granulation tissue, ground tissue, intertissue, intratissue, Japanese tissue, living tissue, macrotissue, mesenchymal tissue, microtissue, mixed connective tissue disease, multitissue, neotissue, nervous tissue, nontissue, osseous tissue, palisade tissue, scar tissue, soft tissue, subtissue, tissual, tissue committee, tissue culture, tissue engineering, tissue equivalent material, tissue factor, tissueless, tissuelike, tissue paper, tissue typing, tissuey, toilet tissue, vascular tissue

tissue

verb

Etymology From Middle English tissu, from Old French tissu (“woven”), past participle of tistre (“to weave”), from Latin texō (“to weave”).

1

To form tissue of; to interweave.

  • The Chariot was couered with Cloth of Gold tiſſued vpon blew.1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, page 28:
2

Medicine, Sciences Informal To have the contents of an injection or intravenous drip leak into the tissue as a result of a ruptured or punctured vein.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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