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dura mater

(do̵or′ə māt′ər, dyo̵or′-)

the outermost, toughest, and most fibrous of the three membranes covering the brain and spinal cord

Origin: ME < ML, lit., hard mother, transl. of Ar term

See dura mater in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

The tough fibrous membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord and lining the inner surface of the skull. It is the outermost of the three meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Medieval Latin dūra māter (cerebrī), hard mother (of the brain), dura mater (translation of Arabic ’umm ad-dimāġ aṣ-ṣāfigah, the dense mother of the brain, matrix of the brain)

Origin: : Latin dūra

Origin: , feminine of dūrus, hard; see duramen

Origin: + Latin māter, mother; see mater

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