Tissue Means Woven
Tissue is thin paper, or a group of similar cells. Both senses come from the French for woven, and biology borrowed the image of cloth.
Tissue is thin soft paper, or a group of similar cells in a living body. Both meanings come from weaving: French *tissu* means woven, and the biological sense was a deliberate metaphor introduced around 1800 by the anatomist Xavier Bichat, who saw the body as made of distinct woven layers. The phrase *a tissue of lies* keeps the cloth image most clearly of all.
- Soft paper. *A box of tissues.*
- A group of cells. *Muscle tissue.*
- A woven fabric (archaic). *A tissue of silver.*
- A tissue of lies — a fabric of falsehoods. *The whole account was a tissue of lies.*
- Tissue paper — very thin wrapping paper. *Wrapped in tissue paper.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tissue | Soft tissue. |
| Plural | tissues | Two tissues. |
| French root | tissu | Woven. |
| Related | texture | A rough texture. |
| Related | textile | Textile mills. |
- Scar tissue formed over the wound.Biology.
- Pass me a tissue.Paper.
- The defence was a tissue of lies.The weaving metaphor.
Words from weaving
- Tissue — woven, hence a woven structure of cells
- Text — from Latin *texere*, to weave; a text is woven words
- Context — what is woven together with it
- Subtle — originally finely woven
- Textile and texture — the most obvious survivors
Old French *tissu*, woven, the past participle of *tistre*, from Latin *texere*, to weave. The anatomical sense is French and dates from around 1800.
Are text and tissue related?
Yes. Both come from Latin texere, to weave. A text is words woven together.
Who first used tissue in biology?
The French anatomist Xavier Bichat popularised it around 1800, describing the body as built from distinct woven layers.