Membrâna, pe. pro, membrânæ. f. g. The vppermost skinne of me thing: also parchment or velume.Oculos membranis tenuissimis vestiuit & sepsit natura.Cic.Squamea membrana chelydri.Ouid.The scaly skinne of a adder.Membrana ligni. Plin. The pill of wood betweene the batl and tree. Membrana. Plin. Quin. Parchment: velume.Bicolor membrana. Pers. Consecare in tenues membranas. Plin. Directa plumbo membrana. Catul. Parchment ruled.Lutca membrana niueum inuoluat libellum. Tibull.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
membrāna, ae, f. [membrum], the skin or membrane that covers parts of the body (class.). I.Lit.: natura oculos membranis tenuissimis vestivit, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 142: cerebri,
the membrane of the brain, meninges
, Cels. 8, 4: membranis cicadae volant, Plin. 11, 28, 33, 96: membranis volant fragilibus insecta, id. 11, 39, 94, 228.—B. Esp., the skin or slough of snakes, Ov. M. 7, 272; Luc. 6, 679.—II.Transf.A.The thin skin of plants and other things, Plin. 15, 22, 24, 88: corio et membrana Punica (teguntur), id. 15, 28, 34, 112: tenuissimis membranis velatur allium, id. 19, 6, 34, 111: putaminis ovi, id. 29, 3, 11, 46.—B.A skin prepared for writing, etc., parchment, Quint. 10, 3, 31: Homeri carmen in Membrana scriptum, Plin. 7, 21, 21, 85: sic raro scribis, ut toto non quater anno Membranam poscas, Hor. S. 2, 3, 2: Parrhasiae, for drawing, Plin. 35, 10, 36, 68: croceae membrana tabellae, Juv. 7, 23: quod in chartulis sive membranis meis aliquis scripserit, meum est, Gai. Inst. 2, 77.—C.The surface, outside of a thing (poet.): coloris, Lucr. 4, 95.—Trop.: scies, sub ista tenui membrana dignitatis quantum mali jaceat, Sen. Ep. 115, 9.
