membrane

[mem-breyn]

noun

1. Anatomy.,  a thin, pliable sheet or layer of animal or vegetable tissue, serving to line an organ, connect parts, etc.

2. Cell Biology.,  the thin, limiting covering of a cell or cell part.

membrane

/ ˈmɛmbreɪn /

noun

1. any thin pliable sheet of material

2. a pliable sheetlike usually fibrous tissue that covers, lines, or connects plant and animal organs or cells

3. biology a double layer of lipid, containing some proteins, that surrounds biological cells and some of their internal structures

4. physics a two-dimensional entity postulated as a fundamental constituent of matter in superstring theories of particle physics

5. a skin of parchment forming part of a roll

membrane

1. 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.

2. See cell membrane

3. Chemistry,  A thin sheet of natural or synthetic material that is permeable to substances in solution.

Other Word Forms

• membraneless adjective
• intermembrane adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of membrane¹

1375–1425; late Middle English; Middle English membraan parchment < Latin membrāna. See member, -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of membrane¹

C16: from Latin membrāna skin covering a part of the body, from membrum _member

Example Sentences

It is "especially important for our brain and mood," she says, because it helps nerves send messages properly and supports the building blocks of brain cell membranes.

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“When you slice open an apple, the seeds and fibrous membrane that make up the core are arranged in a pentagram — a five-pointed star,” wrote Vice back in 2016.

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The fluid consistency of milk may allow the virus to make greater contact with mucous membranes in the throat, while cheese likely provides less exposure time for infection to begin.

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"The idea is that lipids, which form the surface membrane of the cell, are like building blocks," says Chaix.

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Inside the cell, RAS sits on the membrane and acts as the starting signal in a chain of growth processes.

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Related Words

• sheath 
• sheet