What does suture mean?
A suture is a stitch, or a series of stitches, used to close a wound or join separated tissue. In surgical settings, it may also refer to the thread, wire, or other material used for this purpose. The word has a further anatomical meaning: a suture is an immovable joint between bones, particularly one of the joints that form the skull. As a verb, to suture means to close or repair tissue with stitches. The term comes from Latin and is closely associated with sewing, although its modern medical and anatomical uses are specialized. In ordinary conversation, people usually say “stitch” or “stitches”; “suture” is more likely to appear in medical, biological, or formal anatomical discussion. It is a precise word for both the joining process and the structures it creates.
A stitch or series of stitches used to join the edges of tissue, or the thread or material used to close a wound. In anatomy, an immovable joint between bones, especially in the skull.
"The wound was closed with a series of surgical sutures."
The anatomical sense is especially common in technical descriptions of the skull and other bones.
To join or close tissue by sewing it with stitches or sutures.
"The physician sutured the cut immediately after the procedure."
Chiefly used in medical and surgical contexts.
The plural is standard for individual stitches or sutures, as in “the surgeon removed six sutures.”
"The medical team checked the patient's sutures every morning."
From the Latin word for sewing, a suture is both the thread that closes a wound and the seam-like joint that helps form the skull.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suture come from?
Suture comes through French from the Latin noun sutura, meaning “a seam” or “stitch,” which was derived from the Latin verb suere, “to sew.” The same Latin root underlies the word’s associations with sewing and with the joining of tissue. In medicine, the term developed to mean the stitches used to close wounds, while anatomists adopted it for the seam-like joints between bones.
Related word forms
How suture is actually used
In medicine, the term is usually technical and refers specifically to stitches or the material used to close tissue. In anatomy, it refers to a joint between bones, most often the skull. The verb is common in surgical contexts.