membrane

noun mem·brane \ ˈmem-ˌbrān \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of membrane

1 : a thin soft pliable sheet or layer especially of animal or plant origin

2 : a piece of parchment forming part of a roll

—

membraned

play \ˈmem-ˌbrānd\ adjective

See membrane defined for English-language learners

See membrane defined for kids

Recent Examples of membrane from the Web

Within the capsule, the bacteria sit in little compartments with only a heme-permeable membrane separating them from the outside.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "This capsule of glowing E. coli will probe your gut for signs of trouble," 25 May 2018
Those modified cells went into a body-friendly capsule equipped with a semipermeable membrane on one side to let in liquid from the gut.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "This Digital Pill Prototype Uses Bacteria to Sense Stomach Bleeding," 24 May 2018
To address this issue, Simmers and his team developed a special membrane.

— angela chen, The Verge, "You can learn a lot about health — and crime — through sweat," 14 May 2018
In this new study, a group of researchers used some chemicals called polyamides to create a membrane that lets water through while blocking salt.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Alan Turing's Last Paper Inspires a Better Way to Desalinate Water," 3 May 2018
Because Love Park sits on top of an 800-car parking garage, its entire surface had to be ripped out so a new waterproof membrane could be installed.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "Love Park was supposed to be the People's Park. How did it end up as a granite Sahara?," 26 Apr. 2018
As New Atlas explains, engineers used a focused ion beam to cut a flat sheet of the silica membrane.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "This is truly the world’s tiniest tiny house," 25 May 2018
Its genetic material exists in a nucleus that's bound in a membrane.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Meet the top 10 new species of 2018," 23 May 2018
Their membrane maintains almost all the original concentration of the gel even after a day — meaning that the gel and sweat don’t get mixed up.

— angela chen, The Verge, "You can learn a lot about health — and crime — through sweat," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'membrane.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of membrane

Middle English, from Latin membrana skin, parchment, from membrum

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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MEMBRANE Defined for English Language Learners

membrane

noun

Definition of membrane for English Language Learners

: a thin sheet or layer; especially : a thin sheet or layer of tissue that is part of a plant or an animal's body

MEMBRANE Defined for Kids

membrane

noun mem·brane \ ˈmem-ˌbrān \

Definition of membrane for Students

: a thin soft flexible layer especially of animal or plant tissue

mucous membranes

Medical Dictionary

membrane

noun mem·brane \ ˈmem-ˌbrān \

medical Definition of membrane

1 : a thin soft pliable sheet or layer especially of animal or plant origin

2 : a limiting protoplasmic surface or interface — see nuclear membrane, plasma membrane

—

membraned

play \ˈmem-ˌbrānd\ adjective

Learn More about membrane

Spanish Central: Translation of membrane Nglish: Translation of membrane for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of membrane for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about membrane

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membrane

Definition of membrane

membraned

Recent Examples of membrane from the Web

Origin and Etymology of membrane

MEMBRANE Defined for English Language Learners

membrane

Definition of membrane for English Language Learners

MEMBRANE Defined for Kids

membrane

Definition of membrane for Students

Medical Dictionary

membrane

medical Definition of membrane

membraned

Learn More about membrane

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