line

Pronunciation: līn

Definition:

1. A mark, strip, or streak.
2. anatomy a long, narrow mark, strip, or streak distinguished from the adjacent tissues by color, texture, or elevation.
3. A unit of measurement used by histologists in the 19th century; it varied in different countries from one tenth to one twelfth of an English inch.
4. A laboratory derivative of a stock of organisms maintained under defined physical conditions.
5. A section of tubing supplying fluid or wire conducting impulses for monitoring equipment; intravenous line, arterial line, electric line.

Synonym(s): lineaTA

[L. linea, a linen thread, a string, line, fr. linum, flax]

See Also: linea

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