Membrane
//ˈmɛm.bɹeɪn// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A flexible enclosing or separating tissue forming a plane or film and separating two environments.; A mechanical, thin, flat flexible part that can deform or vibrate when excited by an external force. countable, uncountable
- 2 a thin pliable sheet of material wordnet
- 3 A flexible enclosing or separating tissue forming a plane or film and separating two environments.; A flexible or semiflexible covering or waterproofing whose primary function is to exclude water. countable, uncountable
"The animal was breathing oxygen that permeated from the water through panels of membrane while carbon dioxide and other unwanted gases moved in the opposite direction—from the animal's enclosed atmosphere into the water."
- 4 a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants wordnet
- 5 A flexible enclosing or separating tissue forming a plane or film and separating two environments.; A microscopic double layer of lipids and proteins forming the boundary of cells or organelles. countable, uncountable
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- 6 A piece of parchment forming part of a roll. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Endometritis is a disease where bacteria enter the uterus and cause inflammation of the inner membrane."
Etymology
Late Middle English, borrowed from Latin membrāna (“skin or membrane that covers parts of the body”), from membrum (“a limb or member of the body”) + -āna. Doublet of membrana.
Related phrases
More for "membrane"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.