dura mater

[ door-uh-mey-ter ]

nounAnatomy.
  1. the tough, fibrous membrane forming the outermost of the three coverings of the brain and spinal cord.

Origin of dura mater

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin: literally, “hard mother,” loan translation of Arabic umm al-dimāgh al-ṣafīcah, Arabic umm “mother” also serving as an indicator of relationship between things; cf. pia mater
  • Also called du·ra .

Words Nearby dura mater

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dura mater in a sentence

  • The dura mater is a membrane which lines the cranial cavity and is formed of tough connective tissue.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for dura mater

dura mater

/ (ˈdjʊərə ˈmeɪtə) /


noun
  1. the outermost and toughest of the three membranes covering the brain and spinal cord: Often shortened to: dura See also meninges

Origin of dura mater

1
C15: from Medieval Latin, hard mother

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for dura mater

dura mater

[ dur′ə mātər, mä- ]


  1. The tough fibrous membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord and lining the inner surface of the skull. It is the outermost of the three membranes (meninges) that surround the central nervous system, overlying the arachnoid and pia mater.

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