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

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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. 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. 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. 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. Lindsay Curtis, Health, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for connective tissue 

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- How to pronounce connective tissue (audio)
: 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)

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