What does intima mean?
In anatomy, the intima is the innermost layer of a blood vessel's wall. It consists principally of a single layer of endothelial cells together with a small amount of supporting tissue beneath them. The endothelial surface forms a smooth, selectively permeable barrier between circulating blood and the rest of the vessel wall, helping regulate the exchange of substances and the movement of blood cells. The formal Latinized expression tunica intima distinguishes this layer from the vessel's middle muscular layer, the media, and its outer layer, the adventitia. In clinical writing, the related adjective intimal is common in expressions such as intimal inflammation, intimal thickening, and intimal layer. The word is primarily associated with medical and anatomical contexts rather than general conversation. Its familiar relative, intimate, has a different modern meaning concerning closeness or privacy, although both words ultimately derive from Latin intimus, meaning “innermost.”
nounThe innermost layer of the wall of a blood vessel, comprising the endothelial lining and the tissue immediately beneath it. In the formal Latinized phrase tunica intima, it refers to the innermost of the vessel's three main layers.
- The innermost layer of the wall of a blood vessel.
"Inflammation of the intima can contribute to narrowing of the arteries."
"The intima provides a smooth, selectively permeable inner surface for blood flow."
"Damage to the vascular intima can promote the formation of atherosclerotic plaques."
The standard Latinized plural is intimae. In modern medical prose, plural adjective forms such as intimal layers are often more natural.
"The intimae of the affected vessels showed signs of inflammation."
Your blood vessels have a built-in lining: the intima, whose endothelial cells act as a selective barrier between the blood and the vessel wall.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does intima come from?
The anatomical term comes from the New Latin phrase tunica intima, meaning “innermost coat,” with intima derived from Latin intimus, the superlative form meaning “innermost.” The noun entered medical usage as a shortened name for the innermost layer of a blood vessel. Its relatives include intimate and intimacy, which developed senses connected with closeness, and internal and interior, which belong to the same Indo-European family of spatial terms.
Related word forms
How intima is actually used
The term occurs chiefly in medical and anatomical writing. The formal phrase tunica intima is especially common, while modern clinical literature often uses the adjective intimal, as in intimal layer or intimal inflammation.
Easily confused with intima
Intimum is the singular form of the anatomical term, while intima is its Latinized plural or the conventional shortened name for the innermost layer of a blood vessel.