pleura

American  

[ploor-uh] / ˈplʊər ə /

noun

plural

pleurae

1. Anatomy, Zoology. a delicate serous membrane investing each lung in mammals and folded back as a lining of the corresponding side of the thorax.

2. plural of pleuron.

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pleura British  

/ ˈplʊərə /

noun

1. the thin transparent serous membrane enveloping the lungs and lining the walls of the thoracic cavity

2. the plural of pleuron

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pleura Scientific  

/ plr′ə /

plural

pleurae

1. A membrane that encloses each lung and lines the chest cavity.

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Other Word Forms

• pleural adjective

Etymology

Origin of pleura

1655–65; < New Latin < Greek pleurá (singular) side, rib

Example Sentences

Under normal conditions, viewers see a reflection of the pleura as a series of equidistant horizontal lines, called A lines, throughout those organs.

From Scientific American • Jun. 11, 2020

To check for them, doctors look at the pleura, the membrane that envelops each lung.

From Scientific American • Jun. 11, 2020

Therefore, as you breathe, the pleural fluid prevents the two layers of the pleura from rubbing against each other and causing damage due to friction.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Three serous membranes line the thoracic cavity; the two pleura that cover the lungs and the pericardium that covers the heart.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Mediastinum, mē-di-as-tī′num, n. a membranous septum or cavity between two principal portions of an organ, esp. the folds of the pleura and the space between the right and left lungs.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various