mucosa

(myū-kō'sə)
n., pl., -sae (-sē), or -sas.
See mucous membrane.

[From Latin mūcōsa, feminine of mūcōsus, mucous. See mucous.]

mucosal mu·co'sal adj.

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Moist tissue lining, for example, the mouth (buccal mucosa), stomach (gastric mucosa), intestines, and respiratory tract.

(pl. mucosae) or mucous membrane

any of the moist membranes that line the alimentary canal, the glandular ducts, and the respiratory, urinary, and genital passages; it may be smooth, corrugated, or covered with villi. Mucous membranes consist of a surface layer of epithelium containing mucus-secreting glands, and an underlying layer of connective and muscular tissue. Compare serosa.
—mucosal adj.

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Pl. mucosae [L.] mucous membrane.

• m.-only rectal tears — a tear in the rectal wall, usually along the length of the rectum, which penetrates only as far as the submucosa and is without clinical effect. Possibly caused by any rectal penetration by a rigid object but observed mostly during manual examination by a veterinarian.

(myōōko′sə)
n

(mucous membrane), a membrane, composed of epithelium and lamina propria, that lines the oral cavity and other canals and cavities of the body that communicate with external air.