dura
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dura
First recorded in 1880–85
Explanation
There are three protective layers surrounding your brain and the outermost, toughest one is called the dura. Your entire nervous system is protected in several ways, including the meninges, membranes surrounding your brain and spinal cord. The dura is particularly important because it keeps the fluid that cushions your brain in place. An injury to the dura means the possibility that this fluid might leak. An injury known as a subdural hematoma is almost like a bruise that occurs just beneath the dura. In Latin, dura means "hard or thick."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Upon exiting the brain, contaminated fluid must pass through a barrier before spilling into the lymphatic vessels in the dura mater -- the outer tissue layer enveloping the brain underneath the skull.
From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2024
The implant is made of a stretchable “elastomer” material that mimics the dura, the membrane surrounding the brain.
From Scientific American • Sep. 1, 2023
El virus suele propagarse de esta forma, y los bebés infectados pueden acabar con una infección crónica que dura toda la vida.
From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2023
The meninges comprise three layers that surround the brain: pia, arachnoid and dura.
From Salon • Nov. 20, 2022
“I’m going to cut through the dura mater now. I want you to see something else.”
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
