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connective tissue
noun
: a tissue of mesodermal origin that consists of various cells (such as fibroblasts and macrophages) and interlacing protein fibers (as of collagen) embedded in a chiefly carbohydrate ground substance, that supports, ensheathes, and binds together other tissues, and that includes loose and dense forms (such as adipose tissue, tendons, ligaments, and aponeuroses) and specialized forms (such as cartilage and bone)
Examples of connective tissue in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The fact that such different sets of circumstances led to very different kinds of accidents, should provide some reassurance to the flying public, with no connective tissue linking one accident to another.
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Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
Changes were mandated — from the assistants to the game plan to drafting to repairing the loose connective tissue inside the locker room.
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Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
But because these set numbers are so often written as pastiche, the connective tissue of the score, the music that should be most authentically Glover, fades into the background.
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Corinna Da Fonseca-Wollheim, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
Bone and Joint Conditions Conditions affecting the bones that make up the shoulder joint, the connective tissues of the shoulder joint, and the nerves that go through the soft tissue of the shoulder blade may cause shoulder blade pain.
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Lindsay Curtis, Health, 31 Dec. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1846, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of connective tissue was
in 1846
Dictionary Entries Near connective tissue
Cite this Entry
“Connective tissue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/connective%20tissue. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
connective tissue
noun
: a tissue (as bone, cartilage, or tendon) that forms a supporting framework for the body or its parts and has protein fibers between the cells composing it
Medical Definition
connective tissue
noun
con·nec·tive tissue
kə-ˌnek-tiv-
: a tissue of mesodermal origin that consists of various cells (as fibroblasts and macrophages) and interlacing protein fibers (as of collagen) embedded in a chiefly carbohydrate ground substance, that supports, ensheathes, and binds together other tissues, and that includes loose and dense forms (as adipose tissue, tendons, ligaments, and aponeuroses) and specialized forms (as cartilage and bone)
More from Merriam-Webster on connective tissue
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about connective tissue
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