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| su·ture [ schər ] |
noun (plural su·tures) |
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| Definition: |
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1. material for surgical stitching: a piece of material used to close a wound or connect tissues, e.g. catgut, thread, or wire
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2. surgical seam: the line formed where a wound has been closed or tissues have been joined
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3. seam: a seam or line at which two edges have been joined
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4. anatomy immovable joint: a joint, especially in the skull, in which the bones are tightly bound together by fibrous connective tissue so as to prevent movement between them
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5. zoology line at point of juncture: a distinguishable line at the junction of adjacent structures, e.g. between the chambers of a mollusk shell or between the exoskeletal plates of an insect
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6. botany line on seed pod or fruit: a line along which a seed pod or fruit will split to release its seeds
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transitive verb (past and past participle su·tured, present participle su·tur·ing, 3rd person present singular su·tures) |
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| Definition: |
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surgery close wound: to close a wound by joining the edges
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| [15th century. < Latin sutura< sut-, past participle of suere "sew"] |
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  su·tur·al adjective |
| su·tur·al·ly adverb |
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