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membrane
[ mem-breyn ]
/ ˈmɛm breɪn /
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noun
Anatomy. a thin, pliable sheet or layer of animal or vegetable tissue, serving to line an organ, connect parts, etc.
Cell Biology. the thin, limiting covering of a cell or cell part.
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Origin of membrane
OTHER WORDS FROM membrane
mem·brane·less, adjectivein·ter·mem·brane, adjectiveWords nearby membrane
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use membrane in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for membrane
membrane
/ (ˈmɛmbreɪn) /
noun
any thin pliable sheet of material
a pliable sheetlike usually fibrous tissue that covers, lines, or connects plant and animal organs or cells
biology a double layer of lipid, containing some proteins, that surrounds biological cells and some of their internal structures
physics a two-dimensional entity postulated as a fundamental constituent of matter in superstring theories of particle physics
a skin of parchment forming part of a roll
Word Origin for membrane
C16: from Latin membrāna skin covering a part of the body, from membrum member
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 membrane
membrane
[ mĕm′brān′ ]
A thin, flexible layer of tissue that covers, lines, separates, or connects cells or parts of an organism. Membranes are usually made of layers of phospholipids containing suspended protein molecules and are permeable to water and fat-soluble substances.
See cell membrane.
Chemistry A thin sheet of natural or synthetic material that is permeable to substances in solution.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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