membrane
Americannoun
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Anatomy. a thin, pliable sheet or layer of animal or vegetable tissue, serving to line an organ, connect parts, etc.
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Cell Biology. the thin, limiting covering of a cell or cell part.
noun
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any thin pliable sheet of material
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a pliable sheetlike usually fibrous tissue that covers, lines, or connects plant and animal organs or cells
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biology a double layer of lipid, containing some proteins, that surrounds biological cells and some of their internal structures
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physics a two-dimensional entity postulated as a fundamental constituent of matter in superstring theories of particle physics
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a skin of parchment forming part of a roll
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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.
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See cell membrane
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Chemistry A thin sheet of natural or synthetic material that is permeable to substances in solution.
Other Word Forms
- intermembrane adjective
- membraneless adjective
Etymology
Origin of membrane
1375–1425; late Middle English; Middle English membraan parchment < Latin membrāna. See member, -an
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.
The treatment was given as a single injection through a membrane at the base of the cochlea known as the round window.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
When these two types of water meet, ions from the saltwater move through a specialized ion-selective membrane toward the lower-salinity water.
From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026
"By combining a scalable membrane layout with precisely engineered nanofluidic channels, we achieve highly efficient osmotic energy conversion and open a route toward nanofluidic-based blue-energy systems."
From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026
These include a protein modification process known as UFMylation and enzymes that help build membrane anchors within cells.
From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026
Membranophones are instruments in which the sound is produced by making a membrane vibrate; drums are the most familiar example.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
