mucous membrane

American  

noun

1. a lubricating membrane lining an internal surface or an organ, as the alimentary, respiratory, and genitourinary canals.

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mucous membrane British  

/ ˌmjuːkəʊˈmɛmbrənəs /

noun

1. Also called: mucosa.  a mucus-secreting membrane that lines body cavities or passages that are open to the external environment

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mucous membrane Scientific  

/ myo̅o̅′kəs /

1. Any of the membranes lining the passages of the body, such as the respiratory and digestive tracts, that open to the outside. Cells in the mucous membranes secrete mucus, which lubricates the membranes and protects against infection.

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mucous membrane Cultural  

1. The membrane that lines passageways and cavities in the body that lead to the outside, such as the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, nose, vagina, and urethra. These membranes are equipped with glands that secrete mucus.

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Other Word Forms

• mucomembranous adjective

Etymology

Origin of mucous membrane

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

William, who Rona chirpily informs us has “a rare mucous membrane disorder,” is happy to get “lugubrious”: “Meaning extremely sad and droopy? A topic I am all too familiar with.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

The disease causes tongue and mucous membrane lesions, problems with swallowing, lameness and stiffness, affecting animal welfare and leading to a reduction in milk yields.

From BBC • May 6, 2024

Pink eye, known to doctors as conjunctivitis, describes inflammation of the conjunctiva—a thin, transparent mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eyeball.

From Scientific American • May 12, 2023

Adult worms are found in the mucous membrane that lines the stomachs of marine mammals.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2023

In a considerable proportion of cases of otitis media this tube is occluded by the infiltration and swelling of its mucous membrane, so that the muco-pus escapes with difficulty or is retained.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various