SCLERENCHYMA

Etymology

Noun

sclerenchyma (countable and uncountable, plural sclerenchymas or sclerenchymata)

(botany) A mechanical ground tissue, impermeable to water, which consists of cells having narrow lumen and thick, mineralized walls of lignin; present in stems, vascular bundles (of monocots), seed coverings, and vein and tips of leaves.

(zoology) The hard calcareous deposit in the tissues of the stony corals (Anthozoa).

Coordinate terms

• chlorenchyma

• sclereids

• collenchyma

• merenchyma

• parenchyma

Source: Wiktionary

Scle*ren"chy*ma, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. -enchyma as in parenchyma.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: Vegetable tissue composed of short cells with thickened or hardened walls, as in nutshells and the gritty parts of a pear. See Sclerotic.

Note: By recent german writers and their English translation, this term is used for liber cells. Goodale.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: The hard calcareous deposit in the tissues of Anthozoa, constituing the stony corals.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition