pəˈreŋkəmə noun
also par·en·chym ˈparə̇nˌkim, pəˈreŋkə̇m ; or par·en·chyme ˈparə̇nˌkīm
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin parenchyma, from Greek, visceral flesh, from parenchein to pour in beside, from par- para- (I) + en- en- (II) + chein to pour; from the belief that the tissue of internal organs was poured in by the blood vessels of the organ — more at found
1. : a tissue of higher plants consisting of thin-walled living cells that remain capable of cell division even when mature, that are agents of photosynthesis and storage, and that make up much of the substance of leaves and roots and the pulp of fruits as well as parts of stems and supporting structures
2.
a. : the essential and distinctive tissue of an organ (as a gland) or an abnormal growth (as a tumor) as distinguished from its supportive framework
b. : the soft jellylike connective tissue containing stellate cells and fibers that fills the interstices between the internal organs in the flatworms and some other invertebrates
c. : the endoplasm of a protozoan