dura mater

du·ra ma·ter

noun \ˈd(y)u̇r-ə-ˌmāt-ər, -ˌmät-\

Definition of DURA MATER

: the tough fibrous membrane lined with endothelium on the inner surface that envelops the brain and spinal cord external to the arachnoid and pia mater, that in the cranium closely lines the bone, does not dip down between the convolutions, and contains numerous blood vessels and venous sinuses, and that in the spinal cord is separated from the bone by a considerable space and contains no venous sinuses—called also dura