Definition of Cell membrane

1. Noun. A thin membrane (a double layer of lipids) enclosing the cytoplasm of a cell; proteins in the membrane control passage of ions (like sodium or potassium or calcium) in and out of the cell. "All cells have a cell membrane"

Exact synonyms: Cytomembrane, Plasma Membrane
Group relationships: Cell
Generic synonyms: Semipermeable Membrane

Definition of Cell membrane

1. Noun. (cytology) The semipermeable membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm of a cell. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Medical Definition of Cell membrane

1. The structure enveloping a cell, enclosing the cytoplasm and forming a selective permeability barrier. It consists of lipids, proteins and some carbohydrates, the lipids thought to form a bilayer in which integral proteins are embedded to varying degrees. Synonym: plasma membrane. (26 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Cell Membrane

cell fusion
cell group
cell groups
cell growth
cell hybridization
cell hypoxia
cell inclusions
cell junction
cell line
cell line rights
cell lineage
cell lines
cell locomotion
cell marker
cell matrix
cell membrane (current term)
cell membrane permeability
cell membranes
cell migration
cell migration inhibition
cell movement
cell nucleolus
cell nucleus
cell organ
cell organelle
cell phone
cell phone lot
cell phone lots
cell phones
cell physiology

Literary usage of Cell membrane

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Principles of General Physiology by William Maddock Bayliss (1920)
"As long as we remember that the cell membrane is a modifiable part of the cell system, the various facts described above need not cause surprise. equally ..."

2. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1883)
"A diagram suggesting the evolution of the pattern observed during penetration of the coated cell membrane is shown (Fig. 2). At position 1, the electrode ..."

3. The Natural History of Plants: Their Forms, Growth, Reproduction, and by Anton Kerner von Marilaun, Francis Wall Oliver (1902)
"But the power of a substance in aqueous solution, whether without or within the cell-membrane, to permeate the saturated pores, and to mix thoroughly there, ..."

4. A Text-book of Histology by Frederick Randolph Bailey (1906)
"The cell membrane (Fig. i).—This is present in but few animal cells, and is a modification of the peripheral part of the protoplasm. ..."

5. The Cell in Development and Inheritance by Edmund Beecher Wilson (1897)
"G. THE CELL-MEMBRANE From a .general point of view the cell-membrane or ... Such a " pellicle " differs from a true cell-membrane only in degree ; and it is ..."

6. Inside the Cell by Maya Pines (1990)
"Endocytosis—The uptake of large molecules by the cell membrane. During this process, bits of the membrane fold inward and eventually pinch off to form small ..."

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