What does sutured mean?
Sutured means closed, joined, or secured by stitches, especially in a medical setting. A surgeon may use the word when describing an incision or wound that has been repaired with a suture, a surgical stitch. The term can also be used figuratively to describe a relationship, organization, or other damaged whole being carefully brought back together. In such contexts, sutured suggests deliberate repair and a sense of stability restored after disruption. The word is most often encountered in clinical or technical writing, while its metaphorical use is more literary or formal. “Sutured” is the past participle of the verb “suture” and also functions as an adjective describing the result of stitching.
Closed, joined, or secured by stitches.
"The incision was neatly sutured."
Common in medical and technical writing; also used figuratively for something reconciled or restored.
Closed or joined by sewing with stitches.
"The physician sutured the wound."
This is the past tense and third-person singular form of the verb “suture.”
From a Latin root meaning “to sew,” sutured describes anything deliberately brought together and made secure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sutured come from?
English “sutured” was formed from “suture,” a word borrowed from Latin sūtūra, meaning “seam” or “stitch.” The Latin word came from sūere, meaning “to sew.” “Sutured” developed as the past-participle form of “suture” and came to be used adjectivally for something joined or closed with stitches.
How sutured is actually used
The word is most common in medical and technical contexts. Its figurative use conveys deliberate repair, reconciliation, or restoration of unity and is usually formal or literary.
Easily confused with sutured
A suture is a stitch or the act of stitching, whereas something described as sutured has been closed or joined with stitches.