epithelial

[ ep-uh-thee-lee-uhl ]

adjective

1. Biology. being or relating to an epithelium, any tissue that lines a cavity or covers a surface in an animal or plant:

   Cheek epithelial cells are often studied in school labs as they are easily obtained through a mouth rinse or swab.

Other Words From

• in·ter·ep·i·the·li·al adjective
• non·ep·i·the·li·al adjective
• sub·ep·i·the·li·al adjective
• un·ep·i·the·li·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of epithelial¹

First recorded in 1935–40; epitheli(um) ( def ) + -al ¹( def )

Example Sentences

The fungus infects bats through the epithelial cells of their skin without significantly damaging the cells themselves, the study finds.

From Salon

One of the antibodies, FluB-400, broadly inhibited virus replication in laboratory cultures of human respiratory epithelial cells.

From Science Daily

They discovered that disruption of the internal clock in the epithelial cells lining the intestine alters secretion of cytokine proteins, leading to heightened inflammation, increased numbers of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and cancer progression.

From Science Daily

Other research has found that the extract can inhibit the growth of P. gingivalis and reduce its adherence to oral epithelial cells.

From Science Daily

The key finding of the study: a particular protein fragment formed in active celiac disease forms nanosized structures, the so-called oligomers, and accumulates in a gut epithelial cell model.

From Science Daily