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Glite Dictionary
fetal membrane

fetal membrane

1 6.2
A thin layer that surrounds and protects a developing baby in the womb
  • noun
  • /ˈfiːtəl ˈmɛmˌbreɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : membrana fetal
  • The fetal membrane plays a crucial role in protecting the embryo in the womb.

Examples

  • During pregnancy, the fetal membrane provides essential nutrients to the developing baby.

  • Words that are spoken through his body—a labor of death, a labor of birth—are the boundary of tenacious life, like a fetal membrane where he comes to be and is still preserved.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Doctors examine the fetal membrane to ensure it is intact before delivery.

Surface Forms

fetal membrane singular
fetal membranes plural

Morphology

fetal + membrane

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'fetal' (pertaining to a fetus) + 'membrane' (a thin layer), so a learner who knows both words would infer it refers to the membrane surrounding and protecting a fetus. This is a standard adjective+noun medical compound that is cross-linguistically transparent despite being technical vocabulary.

Etymology

The term fetal membrane comes from the words fetal (about the unborn baby) and membrane (a thin skin). Imagine a thin skin that wraps the baby, keeping it safe and helping it get food and air, so the name means the layers that 'protect' and 'feed' the developing baby.