Epithelialized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The condition of a surface that has been restored with a layer of epithelial cells following injury is termed as a complete epithelialization
2. The process by which a wound is covered with a tissue layer made up of epithelial cells after healing occurs is known as epithelialization
3. A state achieved when the surface of an injured area is sealed and protected by newly formed epithelial tissue is indicated as epithelialization

Etymology: "Epithelialized" is the past tense and past participle of "epithelialize," a verb built from "epithelial" plus the suffix "-ize," which turns an adjective into a verb meaning "to make or become such." The adjective "epithelial" comes from "epithelium," a term rooted in Greek: "epi-" meaning "upon" and "thēlē" meaning "nipple" or "teat," so the tissue was named for what lies over it. The sense of the word is therefore literal in its own way. Epithelium is the thin layer of cells that covers body surfaces, both outside the skin and lining the inside of organs, and to epithelialize a wound is to cover it again with that layer. The process is what allows a healing injury to close over, so the word describes a surface that has been resurfaced in this specific biological sense rather than in any everyday one.