Added 10 October 2026
parenchyma
/pəˈɹɛŋ.kɪm.ə/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about parenchyma at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The functional tissue of an organ as distinguished from the connective and supporting tissue.
- The cellular tissue, typically soft and succulent, found chiefly in the softer parts of leaves, pulp of fruits, bark and pith of stems, etc.
- Cellular tissue lying between the body wall and the organs of invertebrate animals lacking a coelom, such as flatworms.
Origin
From Ancient Greek παρέγχῠμα (parénkhŭma, “anything poured in beside”), from πᾰρᾰ- (pără-, “beside”) + ἔγχῠμα (énkhŭma, “instillation, content of a vessel”), given by the Greek anatomist Erasistratus to the peculiar substance of the lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen, as if formed separately by the veins that run into them. By surface analysis, para- + -enchyma.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)