Dictionary:

membrane

  (mĕm'brān')

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1. Biology.
   1. A thin, pliable layer of tissue covering surfaces or separating or connecting regions, structures, or organs of an animal or a plant.
   2. Cell membrane.
2. A piece of parchment.
3. Chemistry. A thin sheet of natural or synthetic material that is permeable to substances in solution.

[Latin membrāna, skin, from membrum, member of the body.]

noun

A thin outer covering of an object: lamina, sheath, sheathing, skin. See surface/depth.

A thin layer of tissue that covers a surface or divides a space or organ.

For more information on membrane, visit Britannica.com.

In built-up roofing, a weather-resistant (flexible or semiflexible) covering consisting of alternate layers of felt and bitumen; fabricated in a continuous covering and surfaced with aggregate or asphaltic material.

A thin sheet of tissue lining a cavity. See also cell membrane.

A thin layer of tissue that covers a surface, lines a cavity, or divides a space or organ.

• alveolocapillary m. — a thin tissue barrier through which gases are exchanged between the alveolar air and the blood in the pulmonary capillaries.
• m.-attack complex — complement components C5–C9 which form in terminal stage of either of the complement pathways and lead to cell lysis.
• basilar m. — the lower boundary of the scala media of the ear.
• Bowman's m. — a thin layer of basement membrane between the outer layer of stratified epithelium and the substantia propria of the cornea.
• Bruch's m. — the inner layer of the choroid, separating it from the pigmented layer of the retina.
• m. carrier — a mechanism in the cell membrane of epithelial cells in the intestinal mucosa which facilitates the rapid transport of for example glucose, into the cell and thus into the bloodstream.
• cell m. — plasma membrane (below).
• m. channels — see channel.
• continuous m. — the middle of the three membranes on the outside of the yolk of the hen egg.
• cricothyroid m. — the membrane connecting the thyroid cartilage to the cricoid cartilage. It is extensive in the horse and surgical incision through it allows access to the interior of the larynx.
• Descemet's m. — the posterior lining membrane of the cornea; it is a thin hyaline membrane between the substantia propria and the endothelial layer of the cornea.
• drum m. — tympanic membrane (below).
• extraembryonic m's — those that protect the embryo or fetus and provide for its nutrition, respiration and excretion; the yolk sac (umbilical vesicle), allantois, amnion, chorion, decidua and placenta.
• extravitelline m. — the outermost of the three membranes on the outside of the yolk of the hen egg.
• false m. — a membrane similar to the pseudomembrane; fibrinous exudates readily loosened from underlying tissue, as in croupous or pseudomembranous inflammation.
• fenestrated m. — one of the perforated elastic sheets of the tunica intima and tunica media of arteries.
• fetal m's — see fetal membranes. See also extraembryonic membranes (above).
• fibrous m. — the strong, fibrous support layer in a joint capsule.
• Henle's m. — see henle's membrane.
• hyaline m. — 1. a membrane between the outer root sheath and inner fibrous layer of a hair follicle.
— 2. basement membrane. — 3. a homogeneous eosinophilic membrane lining alveolar ducts and alveoli, frequently found at necropsy in premature human infants. See also hyaline membrane disease.
• hyoglossal m. — a fibrous lamina connecting the under-surface of the tongue with the hyoid bone.
• interosseous m. — the membrane connecting the shaft of the fibula to the tibia.
• limiting m. — one that constitutes the border of some tissue or structure.
• mucous m. — the membrane covered with epithelium that lines many tubular organs of the body.
• nictitating m. — see membrana nictitans.
• nuclear m. — 1. either of the membranes, inner and outer, comprising the nuclear envelope.
— 2. nuclear envelope.
• olfactory m. — the olfactory portion of the mucous membrane lining the nasal fossa.
• periodontal m. — see periodontium.
• perivitelline m. — the innermost of the three layers on the outside of the yolk in the hen egg.
• placental m. — the membrane that separates the fetal from the maternal blood in the placenta.
• plasma m. — the membrane that encloses a cell; it is composed of phospholipids, glycolipids, cholesterol and proteins. The primary structure is a lipid bilayer. Phospholipid molecules have an electrically charged ‘head’ that attracts water and a hydrocarbon ‘tail’ that repels water; they line up side by side in two opposing layers, with their heads on the inner or outer surface of the membrane and their tails in the core, from which water is excluded. The other lipids affect the structural properties of the membrane. Proteins embedded in the membrane transport specific molecules across the membrane, act as hormone receptors, or perform other functions.
• m. potential — of a cell is the voltage difference across the cell membrane resulting from the differential concentrations of sodium and potassium on either side of the membrane. The resting potential, for example in a nerve cell, is altered by the temporary opening of the sodium channels in the membrane during an action potential, allowing a redistribution of the ions.
• m. proteins — the large number of proteins attached to a cell membrane. They include integral proteins, called also intrinsic, which are embedded in the phospholipid bi-layer of the cell membrane, and peripheral proteins, called also extrinsic, because they are loosely bound and can readily be extracted without damage to the cell membrane.
• pupillary m. — a vascular membrane which occupies the pupil in the embryo stage, completely covering the anterior surface of the lens but subsequently disappears. See also persistent pupillary membrane.
• Reissner's m. — the thin anterior wall of the cochlear duct, separating it from the scala vestibuli.
• Scarpa's m. — tympanic membrane, secondary.
• semipermeable m. — one permitting passage through it of some but not all substances.
• serosal m. — see serous membrane (below).
• serous m. — the membrane lining the walls of the body cavities and enclosing the contained organs; it consists of mesothelium lying upon a connective tissue layer and it secretes a watery fluid.
• shell m. — the membrane on the outside of the soft contents of the hen egg and just inside the shell. It consists of two membranes close together, with an air cell in between.
• synovial m. — see synovial membrane.
• m. transport — transport of electrolytes across semipermeable membranes with the aid of a transporter.
• unit m. — the trilaminar structure of all cellular membranes (such as the plasma membrane, nuclear membranes, mitochondrial membranes, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes) as they appear in electron micrographs. The biochemical structure is a lipid bilayer.
• wing m. — the membrane comprising the wing of the bat.
• yolk m. — the membrane investing the yolk of the hen egg; it includes (from the inside out) the perivitelline, the continuous and the extravitelline membranes.

In medicine, microbiology, cellular physiology and biochemistry a membrane is a thin layer that separates various cellular structures or organs. It usually includes lipid bilayer reinforced by proteins and other macromolecules, and can refer to:

• Basement membrane, the combination of the basal lamina and lamina reticularis or of two basal laminae
• Biological membrane
  • Cell membrane
  • Endomembrane system that divides the cell into organelles
  • Outer membrane or inner membrane of an organelle
  • S-layer, a cell membrane of bacteria
• Mucous membrane

• Serous membrane and mesothelium that surround organs, including:
  • Peritoneum that lines the abdominal cavity
  • Pericardium that surrounds the heart
  • Pleura that surround the lungs
  • Periosteum, membrane that surrounds bone
  • The meninges that surround the brain: the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and the pia mater
• Skin, part of the integumentary system

Membrane may also refer to:

• Membrane keyboard
• Artificial, semipermeable membranes which are used to separate species in a fluid on the basis of size, charge or other characteristics. Such membranes are employed in a range of applications from water and wastewater treatment (see reverse osmosis, diffuser (sewage), landfill liners, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration) to hydrogen fuel cells (see proton exchange membrane).
• The Membranes - an English post-punk band
• Branes, in string theory

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - membran, hinde

Nederlands (Dutch)
membraan, perkament

Français (French)
n. - (Biol, Bot) membrane, (Constr) membrane (d'étanchéité)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Membran

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μεμβράνη, (ανατ.) υμένας, υμήν

Italiano (Italian)
membrana

Português (Portuguese)
n. - membrana (f)

Русский (Russian)
мембрана, плева, оболочка, перепонка

Español (Spanish)
n. - membrana

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - membran

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
薄膜, 羊皮纸, 膜皮

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 薄膜, 羊皮紙, 膜皮

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 피지, 막조직

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 膜, 羊皮紙

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) غشاء نسيجي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קרומית, ממברנה‬

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