endothelium

[ en-doh-thee-lee-uhm ]

noun,plural en·do·the·li·a [en-doh-thee-lee-uh]. /ˌɛn doʊˈθi li ə/.
  1. a type of epithelium composed of a single layer of smooth, thin cells that lines the heart, blood vessels, lymphatics, and serous cavities.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of endothelium

1
1870–75; endo- + New Latin -thelium;cf. epithelium

Other words from endothelium

  • en·do·the·li·al, adjective
  • sub·en·do·the·li·al, adjective

Words Nearby endothelium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use endothelium in a sentence

  • Changes were found in the endothelium of the blood vessels, the axis cylinders of nerves, and the muscles.

    Manual of Surgery | Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
  • Endotheliomas take origin from the endothelium of lymph vessels and blood vessels, and serous cavities.

    Manual of Surgery | Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
  • The endothelium over these plates often disappears, leaving them exposed to the blood-stream.

    Manual of Surgery | Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
  • Such a cavity is not a mere hole, but has a distinct wall of connective tissue lined with epithelium or endothelium.

  • The iris becomes attached to the pectinate ligament and to the endothelium of Descemet's membrane.

    Glaucoma | Various

British Dictionary definitions for endothelium

endothelium

/ (ˌɛndəʊˈθiːlɪəm) /


nounplural -lia (-lɪə)
  1. a tissue consisting of a single layer of cells that lines the blood and lymph vessels, heart, and some other cavities

Origin of endothelium

1
C19: New Latin, from endo- + -thelium, from Greek thēlē nipple

Derived forms of endothelium

  • endothelial, adjective
  • endothelioid, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for endothelium

endothelium

[ ĕn′dō-thēlē-əm ]


Plural endothelia
  1. A thin layer of flat epithelial cells that lines the lymph vessels, blood vessels, and the inner cavities of the heart. Compare mesothelium.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.