tissue culture: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2technical, academic
Quick answer
What does “tissue culture” mean?
The process or technique of growing cells, tissues, or organs in a controlled, artificial environment, usually for research or medical purposes.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The process or technique of growing cells, tissues, or organs in a controlled, artificial environment, usually for research or medical purposes.
The product (cells, tissues) resulting from such a technique. Can also refer more broadly to any artificially maintained, isolated system, especially one used for growth or propagation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in meaning. Spelling of related words may differ (e.g., 'cultured' vs 'cultivated' in specific contexts, but not directly for 'tissue culture').
Connotations
Neutral and identical in both dialects; purely scientific.
Frequency
Usage frequency is very similar, limited to specialist fields.
Grammar
How to Use “tissue culture” in a Sentence
[perform/conduct] tissue culture [on/of NP][grow/maintain] NP [in] tissue cultureNP [be] derived from tissue cultureVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “tissue culture” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The team will culture the tissue from the biopsy sample.
- They successfully cultured the meristematic tissue.
American English
- The researchers cultured the tissue in a specialized medium.
- We need to culture these cells for the assay.
adjective
British English
- The tissue-culture techniques were state-of-the-art.
- She works in a tissue-culture laboratory.
American English
- Tissue-culture flasks were prepared in advance.
- It's a standard tissue-culture protocol.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
In biotech/pharma sectors: 'Our production pipeline relies on proprietary tissue culture methods.'
Academic
Standard term in biology, medicine, agriculture: 'The study employed tissue culture to assess cell proliferation.'
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation.
Technical
The primary context, with specific sub-definitions: 'Somatic embryogenesis via plant tissue culture.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “tissue culture”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “tissue culture”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “tissue culture”
- Confusing 'tissue culture' with 'histology' (study of tissues) or 'microbiology' (study of microbes). Using it as a verb ('to tissue culture' is non-standard; prefer 'to culture tissues').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are very similar and often used interchangeably. 'Tissue culture' traditionally implied growing pieces of tissue (multiple cell types together), while 'cell culture' often implies growing dispersed cells. In modern usage, the distinction is blurry.
Not standardly. The verb is 'to culture' (e.g., 'to culture tissues' or 'to culture cells'). 'Tissue-culture' is used as a noun or adjective.
Growing it 'in vivo', meaning within a living organism, as opposed to 'in vitro' (in glass/artificial environment).
No. It is used extensively for plant tissues as well (plant tissue culture).
The process or technique of growing cells, tissues, or organs in a controlled, artificial environment, usually for research or medical purposes.
Tissue culture is usually technical, academic in register.
Tissue culture: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtɪʃ.uː ˌkʌl.tʃər/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtɪʃ.u ˌkʌl.tʃɚ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'tissue' as the biological material (like a Kleenex is thin material) and 'culture' as growing it in a dish, like cultivating bacteria in a 'culture'.
Conceptual Metaphor
A GARDEN/GREENHOUSE FOR CELLS. (Cells are 'planted' in a 'medium' and 'grown' under controlled 'conditions').
Practice
Quiz
In which field is 'tissue culture' LEAST likely to be used commonly?