| arachidonic acid |
an unsaturated fatty acid that is an important component of the cell membrane and is considered an essential nutrient in the diet of most mammals, including humans. |
| arachnoid |
of or pertaining to the arachnoid membrane. [1/5 definitions] |
| ascidian |
any of various marine animals, such as the sea squirts, that have a saclike body enclosed by a thick tuniclike membrane. |
| bilayer |
biological material composed of two layers of molecules, such as lipids in a cell membrane. |
| bronchitis |
inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the bronchial tubes. |
| bubble |
a small sphere of gas surrounded by a thin liquid membrane. [1/7 definitions] |
| caul |
the membrane that surrounds a fetus in the womb, esp. a part of this that sometimes covers its head when it is born. [2 definitions] |
| cell |
a microscopic unit of plant or animal life, usually containing a nucleus and surrounded by a very thin membrane. [1/4 definitions] |
| cell membrane |
the semipermeable membrane that encloses the contents of a cell; plasma membrane. |
| chalaza |
one of two spiral strands of albumen that connect the yolk of an egg to the shell membrane and help keep the yolk centrally suspended. |
| chorion |
the outer membrane that protects the embryo in reptiles, birds, and mammals. In mammals, it is part of the amnion. |
| choroid |
the vascular membrane on the eye that contains pigment and lies between the sclera and the retina. [1/2 definitions] |
| conjunctiva |
the mucous membrane lining the inner surface of the eyelid and the surface of the eyeball. |
| decidua |
a mucous membrane that lines the uterus and is cast off at childbirth or during menstruation. |
| derma2 |
in Jewish cooking, an intestinal membrane used to hold a bread stuffing for a dish called kishke. |
| dialysis |
the separation of substances in a solution by diffusion through a semipermeable membrane, used to eliminate impurities from the blood in patients with kidney failure. |
| drum |
any of various hollow musical percussion instruments consisting of a cylindrical body covered at one or both ends by a tight membrane, and played by beating with sticks or the hands. [1/10 definitions] |
| drumhead |
the membrane that is stretched over the open end of a drum to form the sounding surface. |
| eardrum |
a membrane that separates the middle ear from the outer ear and that vibrates when sound waves strike it. (See tympanic membrane.) |
| egg tooth |
a toothlike growth on the noses or beaks of very young reptiles and birds with which they break the egg membrane or shell when hatching. |
| electroporation |
in genetics, a method of introducing foreign DNA into a cell by means of an electric pulse that makes the cell membrane more permeable. |