Meaning & use
ground substance
The gel-like material that fills the space between cells in connective tissue, supporting and cushioning them.
See it in a sentence
Collagen fibers are embedded within the ground substance of connective tissue.
Ground substance helps cushion joints and allows nutrients to diffuse between cells.
A note on using this word
Ground substance is a term used mainly in histology and anatomy to describe the non-cellular, non-fibrous component of connective tissue.
Words with a similar meaning
extracellular matrix
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