membrane : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: membrane	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for membrane
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
membrane n a thin pliable sheet of material a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants Synonym(s): membrane, tissue layer
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Membrane \Mem"brane\, n. [F., fr. L. membrana the skin that covers the separate members of the body, fr. L. membrum. See {Member}.] (Anat.) A thin layer or fold of tissue, usually supported by a fibrous network, serving to cover or line some part or organ, and often secreting or absorbing certain fluids. Note: The term is also often applied to the thin, expanded parts, of various texture, both in animals and vegetables. {Adventitious membrane}, a membrane connecting parts not usually connected, or of a different texture from the ordinary connection; as, the membrane of a cicatrix. {Jacob's membrane}. See under {Retina}. {Mucous membranes} (Anat.), the membranes lining passages and cavities which communicate with the exterior, as well as ducts and receptacles of secretion, and habitually secreting mucus. {Schneiderian membrane}. (Anat.) See {Schneiderian}. {Serous membranes} (Anat.), the membranes, like the peritoneum and pleura, which line, or lie in, cavities having no obvious outlet, and secrete a serous fluid.