Classification
Tissues are generally classified by the morphology of their cells, and the number of layers they are composed of. Epithelial tissue that is only one cell thick is known as simple epithelium. If it is two or more cells thick, it is known as stratified epithelium. However, when taller simple epithelial cells (see columnar, below) are viewed in cross section with several nuclei appearing at different heights, they can be confused with stratified epithelia. This kind of epithelium is therefore described as "pseudostratified" epithelium.
There are three principal morphologies associated with epithelial cells. Squamous epithelium has cells which are wider than they are tall (flat and scale-like). Cuboidal epithelium has cells whose height and width are approximately the same (cube shaped). Columnar epithelium has cells taller than they are wide (column shaped). In addition, the morphology of the cells in transitional epithelium may vary from squamous to cuboidal, depending on the amount of tension on the epithelium.
Read more about this topic: Epithelium