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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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