Animal tissues

his article is about biological tissue. For the moth, see Triphosa dubitata. For other uses, see Tissue (disambiguation).

Cross section of sclerenchyma fibers in plant ground tissue.

Microscopic view of a histologic specimen of human lung tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin.

In biology, tissue is a cellular organizational level between cells and a complete organ. A tissue is an ensemble of similar cells and their extracellular matrix from the same origin that together carry out a specific function. Organs are then formed by the functional grouping together of multiple tissues.

The English word is derived from the French tissu, meaning something that is woven, from the verb tisser, "to weave".

The study of human and animal tissues is known as histology or, in connection with disease, histopathology. For plants, the discipline is called plant anatomy. The classical tools for studying tissues are the paraffin block in which tissue is embedded and then sectioned, the histological stain, and the optical microscope. In the last couple of decades,^{[clarification needed]} developments in electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and the use of frozen tissue sections have enhanced the detail that can be observed in tissues. With these tools, the classical appearances of tissues can be examined in health and disease, enabling considerable refinement of medical diagnosis and prognosis