noun
- Anat. the essential or functional tissue of an organ, as distinguished from its connective tissue, blood vessels, etc.
- Bot. a soft tissue made up of thin-walled, undifferentiated living cells with air spaces between them, constituting the chief substance of plant leaves and roots, the pulp of fruits, the central portion of stems, etc.
- Zool. a spongy mass of tissue packing the spaces between the organs of some invertebrates
Origin:
ModL < Gr, anything poured in beside < para-, beside (see para-) + enchyma, infusion < enchein, to pour in < en-, in + cheein, to pour: see found