SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does semipermeable membrane mean? 

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

1. a membrane (as a cell membrane) that allows some molecules to pass through but not others

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A membrane (as a cell membrane) that allows some molecules to pass through but not others

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

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

membrane; tissue layer (a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "semipermeable membrane"):

cell membrane; cytomembrane; plasma membrane (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)

 Context examples 

The semipermeable membrane that encloses the cytoplasm of a cell.

(Plasma membrane, NCI Thesaurus)

Diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal.

(Osmosis, NCI Thesaurus)