dura mater
noun
du·ra ma·ter
ˈdu̇r-ə-ˌmā-tər 
ˈdyu̇r-,
-ˌmä-
: the tough fibrous membrane that envelops the brain and spinal cord external to the arachnoid and pia mater
Examples of dura mater in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This spinal area lies just outside the dura mater, and is a tough membrane that encases the spinal cord and the system that allows cerebrospinal fluid to circulate.
—
Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
In cases where a hematoma is located near the brain, for instance, blood can collect between the covering of the brain (called the dura mater) and the surface of the brain.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The fluid would then flow through the dura mater, the outer layer of tissue between the brain and the skull, taking the junk with it.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2024
In a preprint paper posted to the server medRxiv, neural engineers describe a tiny wireless device that could be implanted below the skull but above a protective membrane called the dura mater that surrounds the brain.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Oct. 2023
The accounts said Oliverson was believed to have fractured his skull and suffered an epidural hematoma, which sees blood build between the skull and dura mater, the outermost layer protecting the brain.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2022
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Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025
In cases where a hematoma is located near the brain, for instance, blood can collect between the covering of the brain (called the dura mater) and the surface of the brain.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The fluid would then flow through the dura mater, the outer layer of tissue between the brain and the skull, taking the junk with it.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2024
In a preprint paper posted to the server medRxiv, neural engineers describe a tiny wireless device that could be implanted below the skull but above a protective membrane called the dura mater that surrounds the brain.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Oct. 2023
The accounts said Oliverson was believed to have fractured his skull and suffered an epidural hematoma, which sees blood build between the skull and dura mater, the outermost layer protecting the brain.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Dura mater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dura%20mater. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dura mater
noun
du·ra ma·ter
ˈd(y)u̇r-ə-ˌmāt-ər
-ˌmät-
-ˌmät-
: the tough fibrous membrane lined with endothelium on the inner surface that envelops the brain and spinal cord external to the arachnoid and pia mater, that in the cranium closely lines the bone, does not dip down between the convolutions, and contains numerous blood vessels and venous sinuses, and that in the spinal cord is separated from the bone by a considerable space and contains no venous sinuses
called also dura
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