adjective
membranous
MEM-bruh-nus/ˈmembrənəs/
Thin, flexible, and sheetlike, resembling a membrane.
The onion's membranous layer peels away as a thin, flexible sheet.
Etymology
The skin or membrane base becomes an adjective meaning ‘like a membrane.’ In this sense, the resemblance is structural: something membranous has the thin, flexible, sheetlike character of a skin.
In context
We've got this membranous flap here, um, which would be where the the leaf blade joins there. And that's talking about the ligule.
More examples
- A thin, membranous layer separates the orange's juicy sections.
- The seeds have delicate, membranous wings that catch the wind.
- Under the microscope, the material appears membranous rather than fibrous.
Forms
membranous
membrane noun — A thin, flexible layer covering or separating structures.
Similar words
- filmy
- Describes a very thin layer, often translucent or hazy.
- papery
- Suggests paper's thin texture, often drier and stiffer.