MEMBRANE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does membrane mean? 

• MEMBRANE (noun)
  The noun MEMBRANE has 2 senses:

1. a thin pliable sheet of material

2. a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants

  Familiarity information: MEMBRANE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MEMBRANE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A thin pliable sheet of material

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("membrane" is a kind of...):

flat solid; sheet (a flat artifact that is thin relative to its length and width)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "membrane"):

gel; gelatin (a thin translucent membrane used over stage lights for color effects)

drumhead; head (a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum)

Derivation:

membranous (relating to or made of or similar to a membrane)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

membrane; tissue layer

Hypernyms ("membrane" is a kind of...):

animal tissue (the tissue in the bodies of animals)

Meronyms (substance of "membrane"):

phospholipid (any of various compounds composed of fatty acids and phosphoric acid and a nitrogenous base; an important constituent of membranes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "membrane"):

fertilization membrane (the membrane that forms around a fertilized ovum and prevents penetration by additional spermatozoon)

adventitia; tunic; tunica (an enveloping or covering membrane or layer of body tissue)

hyaloid; hyaloid membrane (the transparent membrane enveloping the vitreous humor of the eye and separating it from the retina)

intima (the innermost membrane of an organ (especially the inner lining of an artery or vein or lymphatic vessel))

iris (muscular diaphragm that controls the size of the pupil which in turn controls the amount of light that enters the eye; it forms the colored portion of the eye)

lamella (a thin membrane that is one of the calcified layers that form bones)

meninges; meninx (a membrane (one of 3) that envelops the brain and spinal cord)

mucosa; mucous membrane (mucus-secreting membrane lining all body cavities or passages that communicate with the exterior)

periosteum (a dense fibrous membrane covering the surface of bones (except at their extremities) and serving as an attachment for tendons and muscles; contains nerves and blood vessels that nourish the enclosed bone)

perithelium (tissue layer around small blood vessels)

retina (the innermost light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is continuous with the optic nerve)

sarcolemma (an extensible membrane enclosing the contractile substance of a muscle fiber)

semipermeable membrane (a membrane (as a cell membrane) that allows some molecules to pass through but not others)

serosa; serous membrane (a thin membrane lining the closed cavities of the body; has two layers with a space between that is filled with serous fluid)

synovial membrane; synovium (a thin membrane in synovial (freely moving) joints that lines the joint capsule and secretes synovial fluid)

ependyma (thin epithelial membrane lining the ventricles of the brain and the spinal cord canal)

endosteum (vascular membrane that lines the inner surface of long bones)

endocranium (membrane lining the inside of the skull)

eardrum; myringa; tympanic membrane; tympanum (the membrane in the ear that vibrates to sound)

diaphragm; midriff ((anatomy) a muscular partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration)

cornea (the transparent dome-shaped anterior portion of the outer covering of the eye; it covers the iris and pupil and is continuous with the sclera)

ciliary body (the part of the tunic of the eye between the choroid coat and the iris)

choroid; choroid coat (a highly vascular membrane in the eye between the retina and the sclera; a dark pigmentation minimizes the scattering of light inside the eye)

fetal membrane (any membrane that functions for the protection or nourishment or respiration or excretion of a developing fetus)

basilar membrane (a membrane in the cochlea that supports the organ of Corti)

axolemma (outer membrane covering an axon)

Bowman's capsule; capsula glomeruli; glomerular capsule (thin double membrane surrounding the glomerulus of a nephron)

web (membrane connecting the toes of some aquatic birds and mammals)

chorioallantoic membrane; chorioallantois (the very vascular fetal membrane composed of the fused chorion and adjacent wall of the allantois)

trophoblast (the membrane that forms the wall of the blastocyst in early development; aids implantation in the uterine wall)

Derivation:

membranous (characterized by formation of a membrane (or something resembling a membrane))

 Context examples 

Exosomes are secreted by most cells and are surrounded by a membrane containing elements that are characteristic of the cell from which they originate.

(Scientists successfully deliver “Trojan horse” catalysts into cancerous tumour cells to destroy them from within, Universities of Granada)

Proteins that are physically associated with the membrane.

(Membrane Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

A gene that encodes a protein that is associated with any of the cell membranes.

(Membrane Protein Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

Posttranslational modification of proteins targeted for membranes.

(Membrane Protein Traffic, NCI Thesaurus)

Proto-LBC is membrane bound; onco-LBC is cytosolic.

(A Kinase Anchor Protein 13, NCI Thesaurus)

The electrical potential difference across a plasma membrane.

(Membrane Potential, NCI Thesaurus)

However, the structural rearrangement of gp41 from pre-fusion to post-fusion is what drives membrane fusion between HIV and its target cell.

(The Structure and Dynamics of HIV Surface Spikes, NIH)

This allele, which encodes disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10, is involved in the modulation of plasma membrane protein shedding.

(ADAM10 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene plays a role in the cleavage of membrane proteins, resulting in the release of their extracellular domains from cells.

(ADAM17 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

Some proteins live inside the cell, and some reside on the cell's membrane, an outer layer of lipids that separates the cell from its external environment.

(Study shows limitations of method for determining protein structure, National Science Foundation)