GROUND SUBSTANCE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ground substance mean? 

• GROUND SUBSTANCE (noun)
  The noun GROUND SUBSTANCE has 2 senses:

1. the body substance in which tissue cells are embedded

2. the clear nongranular portion of the cytoplasm of a cell

  Familiarity information: GROUND SUBSTANCE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GROUND SUBSTANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The body substance in which tissue cells are embedded

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

ground substance; intercellular substance; matrix

Hypernyms ("ground substance" is a kind of...):

body substance (the substance of the body)

Holonyms ("ground substance" is a part of...):

bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)

connective tissue (tissue of mesodermal origin consisting of e.g. collagen fibroblasts and fatty cells; supports organs and fills spaces between them and forms tendons and ligaments)

cartilage; gristle (tough elastic tissue; mostly converted to bone in adults)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The clear nongranular portion of the cytoplasm of a cell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

ground substance; hyaloplasm

Hypernyms ("ground substance" is a kind of...):

cytol; cytoplasm (the protoplasm of a cell excluding the nucleus; is full of proteins that control cell metabolism)

 Context examples 

The cells, ground substance, and tissue fluid represent a minor component.

(Dense Connective Tissue, NCI Thesaurus)

A type of connective tissue composed of chondrocytes and an extracellular matrix, composed of collagen, elastin, and ground substance.

(Cartilage, NCI Thesaurus)

Ground substance in which things are embedded or that fills a space (e.g., extracellular matrix or nuclear matrix).

(Matrix, NCI Thesaurus)

Connective Tissue Alteration involves a qualitative change in the existing state of supporting tissue derived from mesenchyme that binds other tissues and consists of various cell types embedded in a fibrous and ground substance extracellular matrix.

(Connective Tissue Alteration, NCI Thesaurus)

The supporting or framework tissue of the animal body, formed of fibrous and ground substance with more or less numerous cells of various kinds; it is derived from the mesenchyme, and this in turn from the mesoderm; the varieties of connective tissue are: areolar or loose; adipose; dense, regular or irregular, white fibrous; elastic; mucous; and lymphoid tissue; cartilage; and bone; the blood and lymph may be regarded as connective tissues the ground substance of which is a liquid.

(Connective tissue, NCI Thesaurus)