serous membrane

American  

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

1. any of various thin membranes, as the peritoneum, that line certain cavities of the body and exude a serous fluid.

---

serous membrane British  

noun

1. any of the smooth moist delicate membranes, such as the pleura or peritoneum, that line the closed cavities of the body and secrete a watery exudate

---

Etymology

Origin of serous membrane

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

A serous membrane is an epithelial membrane composed of mesodermally derived epithelium called the mesothelium that is supported by connective tissue.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

A fourth, the peritoneum, is the serous membrane in the abdominal cavity that covers abdominal organs and forms double sheets of mesenteries that suspend many of the digestive organs.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The pericardial sac consists of two fused layers: an outer fibrous capsule and an inner parietal pericardium lined with a serous membrane.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

If a bullet were to penetrate a lung, which three anterior thoracic body cavities would it enter, and which layer of the serous membrane would it encounter first?

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Lining the walls of this cavity, just as in a general way, a paper lines the walls of a room, is a delicate serous membrane, called the peritoneum.

From A Practical Physiology by Blaisdell, Albert F.