noun
membrane
MEM-brayn/ˈmembreɪn/
A thin, flexible layer that covers or separates parts of something.
Thin membranes surround the orange segments and keep them separate.
Etymology
Latin membrana referred to skin, including skin prepared as parchment. That thin covering provides the image behind a membrane: a sheetlike layer of tissue or material separating spaces.
In context
there's a basement membrane here that separates the dermis from this layer of basal cells right there
More examples
- A membrane controls what enters and leaves each cell.
- The crew installs a waterproof membrane beneath the roof tiles.
- Water passes through a membrane that traps tiny particles.
Forms
membrane · membranes
membranous adjective — Made of or resembling a thin membrane.