Okuzeka
Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Cells, Tissues and Body Organization

Cell membrane

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

nounCommon term

In anatomy & physiology, cell membrane means: The thin, flexible layer that surrounds every cell and controls what enters and leaves it. It is made mainly of a double layer of phospholipids with proteins set into it.

In Turkish: hücre zarı, plazma zarı

How it is used

Also called the plasma membrane. Physiology lectures describe it as selectively permeable and explain transport across it: diffusion, osmosis, channels and pumps such as the sodium–potassium pump.

Example sentences

  1. Oxygen crosses the cell membrane easily by simple diffusion.

  2. Proteins in the cell membrane act as channels for ions.

Common collocations

  • plasma membrane
  • across the cell membrane
  • selectively permeable
  • phospholipid bilayer
  • membrane protein
  • cellThe smallest living unit of the body. Each cell has a membrane and cytoplasm, most also have a nucleus, and groups of similar cells form tissues.
  • diffusionThe movement of particles from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated, without the cell using energy. Oxygen enters the blood in the lungs this way.
  • osmosisThe movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from a more dilute solution into a more concentrated one, until the two sides become more equal.
  • nucleusThe control center of a cell, surrounded by its own membrane. It contains the DNA, which carries the instructions for making proteins and for cell division.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Cells, Tissues and Body Organization

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.