dura mater
1
9.2
- noun
- /ˈdʊrə ˈmeɪtər/
- Specialized
:
dura mater
- In the United States, there have been only 4 cases of dura mater-associated disease (the most recent in 2005) and no case of growth hormone-associated CJD for anyone who began treatment after 1977.
- enhancement of the dura mater
- dura mater grafts
- cases of dura mater
Examples
-
The worldwide tally of dura mater-associated cases is 228, and new cases still continue to occur here and there, the most recent being individual cases in Austria, South Korea, and the Netherlands in 2011.
Academic text (2012) -
The membranes surrounding the cord are the dura mater, the arachnoid layer, and the pia mater.
Academic text (2005) -
It's encased by the dura mater, right?
-
"Under my skull bones, wrapped in dura mater, my thoughts, aware they could be read now, began to move anxiously along the neurons and dendrites."
Fiction book (1998) -
Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) bathes the cord under the dura mater.
Academic text (2005) -
Surgery was needed to remove bone splinters and possibly the lodged missile, eliminate fissures, evaluate the condition of the dura mater if exposed, and apply "healing drugs."
Academic text (2006) -
In view of the size of the tumor and the involvement of bone, muscle, connective tissue, the mandibular joint, the dura mater, and the brain, postoperative radiation was recommended by the Department of Radiation Therapy, but the patient declined.
Academic text (2003) -
Sharp edges on fissure fractures extending from the wound endangered the dura mater (the fibrous membrane enveloping the brain).
Academic text (2006) -
For the entire (worldwide) group of dura mater-recipient patients, incubation periods ranged from 1.3 to 30 years (mean 12 years), and, except in Japan, the clinical and neuropathologic features were similar to those of sporadic CJD.
Academic text (2012) -
The dura mater protects the brain and spinal cord from injury.
Synonyms
4
9.9
A strong outer layer that covers the brain and spinal cord
How Delicate
Surface Forms
Morphology
dura + mater
This is a technical, Latin-derived anatomical term whose meaning is lexicalized; a B1 learner who only knows the literal constituents would not be able to derive 'the tough, outermost membrane covering the brain and spinal cord.' The components are not common everyday English vocabulary (and 'mater' is not transparent here), so prior domain-specific exposure is required.
Etymology
Dura mater comes from Latin: dura and mater, which together mean 'hard mother'. Imagine a strong, caring mother wrapping the brain and spinal cord, and you will remember that the dura mater is the tough outer covering that protects them.