Final answer:
The term for an epithelial tissue with several layers of cells is 'stratified'. This type of tissue is designed to protect surfaces from abrasion and can vary in cell shapes such as squamous, cuboidal, or columnar.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term given to an epithelial tissue with several layers of cells is stratified. These layers provide protection for areas that experience friction or where a barrier is needed, such as the skin and the lining of the mouth and vagina. The epithelial tissue can have different cell shapes, like squamous (flat), cuboidal (cube-shaped), or columnar (tall), but if the tissue has multiple layers, it is classified as stratified. On the other hand, tissues with a single layer of cells are known as simple epithelium, and those that appear to have multiple layers due to the arrangement of nuclei, despite only having one, are called pseudostratified. Furthermore, cuboidal refers specifically to the shape of the cells in the tissue and not the number of layers.