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membrane

Syllabification: (mem·brane)
Pronunciation: /ˈmemˌbrān/
Translate membrane | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of membrane

noun

Anatomy & Zoology
  • a pliable sheetlike structure acting as a boundary, lining, or partition in an organism.
  • a thin pliable sheet or skin of various kinds:the concrete should include a membrane to prevent water seepage
  • Biology a microscopic double layer of lipids and proteins that bounds cells and organelles and forms structures within cells.

Derivatives

membranaceous

Pronunciation: /ˌmembrəˈnāSHəs/
adjective

membraneous

Pronunciation: /memˈbrānēəs/
adjective

membranous

Pronunciation: /ˈmembrənəs, memˈbrānəs/
adjective

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin membrana, from membrum 'limb'

membrane in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of membrane in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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