meninges
Americanplural noun
singular
meninxplural noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meninges
1610–20; < New Latin < Greek mḗninges, plural of mêninx membrane
Explanation
The protective membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord are called meninges. Your meninges do an important job — helping to keep your nervous system safe from harm. The illness known as meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges that's caused by a viral or bacterial infection. This condition can be serious because of how close the brain is to the meninges and how vital they are for protecting it. The Greek root, meninx, means "membrane."
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.
Meningitis is the swelling of the meninges – the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord – and it is usually caused by a bacterial infection.
From BBC • Oct. 5, 2025
Second, an antibody was used to block the activity of T cells in the meninges.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2023
So if you bend the neck, because the meninges are inflamed, the knees will also bend.
From Scientific American • May 22, 2023
Meningiomas, tumors of the meninges, are usually benign tumors that can require resection when they become symptomatic.
From Salon • Nov. 20, 2022
These are: adhesions of the meninges, thickening of the pia mater, congestion of the meninges, partial atrophy, centres of softening, seaming of the optic thalami, atrophy of the corpus callosum, etc.
From Criminal Man According to the Classification of Cesare Lombroso by Lombroso, Gina
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.
