Etymology

parenchyma

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Today it means: The functional tissue of an organ as distinguished from the connective and supporting tissue. Full definition →

Ancient Greek παρέγχῠμα
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The story

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromπαρέγχῠμα“anything poured in beside”
  2. English todayparenchyma

From Ancient Greek παρέγχῠμα (parénkhŭma, “anything poured in beside”), from πᾰρᾰ- (pără-, “beside”) + ἔγχῠμα (énkhŭma, “instillation, content of a vessel”), given by the Greek anatomist Erasistratus to the peculiar substance of the lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen, as if formed separately by the veins that run into them. By surface analysis, para- + -enchyma.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.