Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for membrane on Thesaurus.com 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. Show More
Origin of membrane 1375–1425; late Middle English; Middle English membraan parchment <
Latin membrāna. See
member ,
-an Related forms mem·brane·less , adjective in·ter·mem·brane , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for membrane Historical Examples of membrane The membrane breaks off, the fever declines, and the child begins to recover.
Membranous or eous: composed of membrane or skin-like tissue.
Platelet: a little plate or sclerite of chitin in a membrane .
Bones are covered with a tough skin, or membrane (periosteum).
The membrane lining the abdominal cavity and enfolding its organs.
British Dictionary definitions for membrane 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 Show More
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
Word Origin and History for membrane n. early 15c., "thin layer of skin or tissue," a term in anatomy, from Latin membrana "a skin, membrane; parchment (skin prepared for writing)," from membrum "limb, member of the body" (see member ). The etymological sense is "that which covers the members of the body."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
A thin pliable layer of tissue covering surfaces, enveloping a part, lining a cavity, or separating or connecting structures or organs. Cell membrane. A thin sheet of natural or synthetic material that is permeable to substances in solution. Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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. Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
