membrane

noun mem·brane \ ˈmem-ˌbrān \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 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

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membraned

play \ˈmem-ˌbrānd\ adjective

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Recent Examples of membrane from the Web

These containers are covered by semipermeable membranes that have pores too small to allow the bacteria to escape, but just the right size to allow molecules in.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Ingestible Medical Device Can Tell Your Phone What's Happening in Your Gut," 24 May 2018
Basil suggests first-timers have a fishmonger cut the tail — the only part normally eaten outside Asia — into medallions and remove its surface membrane.

— rachel ellner, BostonGlobe.com, "Marsala brings out the beauty in monkfish," 14 May 2018
Sun Link improved on the city’s bus service, but something got lost when redevelopment punctured the membrane that separated those worlds, some power that repelled the forces that made Tucson like Phoenix.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Finding the Soundtrack to My Desert Life," 25 Apr. 2018
Using brain membrane cells taken from one of his patients during a routine surgery, the team coaxed them first into stem cells, then some of them into the endothelial cells that line blood vessels’ insides.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "Mini Brains Just Got Creepier—They’re Growing Their Own Veins," 3 Apr. 2018
The cells are soaked in a solution to make their outer membranes permeable and then exposed to a solution of asparaginase.

— NBC News, "Cancer docs say 'superblood' may work against deadly malignancies," 2 Apr. 2018
Its stretchy fabric blocks wind and rain while allowing sweat vapor to pass through its membrane.

— clint carter, WSJ, "Cycling Clothes That Double as Office Attire," 22 Mar. 2018
The antibiotic is positively charged and seems to kill by breaking down bacterial cells' otherwise negatively charged outer membranes.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Deadly superbug just got scarier—it can mysteriously thwart last-resort drug," 9 Mar. 2018
In that case, potential drugs might be screened against both the protein in free suspension, and intact cells that have such channels in their membranes.

— The Economist, "The gene machineRobotic labs for high-speed genetic research are on the rise," 1 Mar. 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.