suture

1 of 2

noun

su·​ture ˈsü-chər How to pronounce suture (audio)
1
a
: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
also : a stitch made with a suture
b
: the act or process of sewing with sutures
2
a
: a uniting of parts
b
: the seam or seamlike line along which two things or parts are sewed or united
3
a
: the line of union in an immovable articulation (as between the bones of the skull)
also : such an articulation
b
: a furrow at the junction of adjacent bodily parts
especially : a line of dehiscence (as on a fruit)
sutural
ˈsü-chə-rəl How to pronounce suture (audio)
ˈsüch-rəl
adjective
suturally
ˈsü-chə-rə-lē How to pronounce suture (audio)
ˈsüch-rə-
adverb

suture

2 of 2

verb

sutured; suturing ˈsü-chə-riŋ How to pronounce suture (audio)
ˈsüch-riŋ

transitive verb

: to unite, close, or secure with sutures
suture a wound

Examples of suture in a Sentence

Verb The surgeon sutured the incision. the doctor cleaned, sutured, and bandaged the wound
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
About LockeT Catheter Precision's LockeT is a suture retention device intended to assist in hemostasis after percutaneous venous punctures. Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2024 Additional sutures are strategically placed to enhance vasal support before the vas is returned to the scrotum. The Doctors Clinic, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024 This is surgery without scalpels or sutures, just a syringe pushing particles containing CRISPR into the vein that connects a pregnant person to the fetus. Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024 The sobering center is not right for anyone who shows signs of trauma or needs sutures, is combative or violent or has vital signs outside a certain range, among other qualifiers on a 14-point checklist that medics and the center staffer both sign. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Sadly, Walter can't come because his sutures won't hold if he's carried out. Lincee Ray, EW.com, 15 July 2023 The sutures were made by Ethicon, a J&J subsidiary, according to a medical document reviewed by the Tribune. Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023 The incision is closed with sutures or adhesive strips, and a sling is placed on your arm to immobilize the arm and shoulder and prevent lead dislodgment.1 From start to finish, pacemaker surgery takes around 30 minutes. Jennifer Whitlock, Rn, Msn, Fn, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2023 Doctors found during an ultrasound that the C-section incision was closed with string or thread and not with the standard suture material, which detectives said could have led to her infection. Sara Smart, CNN, 13 Aug. 2023
Verb
The outlines of the septa can be seen today in fossil ammonoid shells, preserved as a sort of tracing where the septum was sutured to the inside of the shell. Lori Oliwenstein, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 The injured were being sutured with little to no anesthesia. Doha Madani, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2023 With supplies running low, some people were cut and sutured without anesthesia. Rozina Ali, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023 Forests are set ablaze or leveled by chainsaws, quickly and indiscriminately; planters then suture avocado saplings onto the barren earth. Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 On the porch of a hut, the nurse, José Luis Fernández, cleaned the wound, injected an anesthetic and sutured the cut. Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Usually, it would be removed after closing the uterine incision (and before the skin is sutured). Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023 At Beth Israel Deaconess, students toured the emergency room, attended a lecture about how medical professionals’ biases affect care for minorities, and learned how to suture. Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 24 July 2023 His duties included conducting intake interviews, prescribing medications, and suturing. Yoko Ogawa, The New Yorker, 20 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin sutura seam, suture, from sutus, past participle of suere to sew — more at sew

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of suture was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near suture

Cite this Entry

“Suture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suture. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

suture

1 of 2 noun
su·​ture ˈsü-chər How to pronounce suture (audio)
1
a
: a stitch made with a suture
b
: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
c
: the act or process of sewing with sutures
2
: the line of connection in an immovable joint (as between the bones of the skull)
also : such a joint

suture

2 of 2 verb
sutured; suturing ˈsüch-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce suture (audio)
: to unite, close, or secure with sutures
suture a wound

Medical Definition

suture

1 of 2 noun
su·​ture ˈsü-chər How to pronounce suture (audio)
1
a
: a stitch made with a suture
b
: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
c
: the act or process of sewing with sutures
2
a
: the line of union in an immovable articulation (as between the bones of the skull)
also : such an articulation
b
: a furrow at the junction of adjacent bodily parts

suture

2 of 2 transitive verb
sutured; suturing ˈsüch-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce suture (audio)
: to unite, close, or secure with sutures
suture a wound

More from Merriam-Webster on suture

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