CELL MEMBRANE

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cell membrane mean? 

• CELL MEMBRANE (noun)
  The noun CELL MEMBRANE has 1 sense:

1. 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

  Familiarity information: CELL MEMBRANE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CELL MEMBRANE (noun)

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

cell membrane; cytomembrane; plasma membrane

Context example:

all cells have a cell membrane

Hypernyms ("cell membrane" is a kind of...):

semipermeable membrane (a membrane (as a cell membrane) that allows some molecule to pass through but not others)

Holonyms ("cell membrane" is a part of...):

cell ((biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals)