suture
n.a stitch or a row of stitches that a doctor uses to hold the edges of a wound together so it can heal.
n.a stitch or series of stitches made to secure the edges of a surgical incision or a deep wound. In anatomy, it also refers to the immovable fibrous joints between the bones of the skull.
“The doctor removed the sutures once the wound had closed.”
“After the surgery, the nurse checked the sutures to ensure there were no signs of infection or tearing.”
“While absorbable sutures eventually dissolve within the body's tissues, non-absorbable varieties must be manually extracted by a medical professional after sufficient healing has occurred.”
Commonly used in medical contexts; can refer to the material used (the thread) or the resulting stitch itself.
From Middle English suture, from Latin sūtūra (“suture”), from suere (“sew, join or tack together”) + -tūra (forms action nouns).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.