melvie 
< AS. iiK'ln (mi In--), niciil: "!< inriiH.] To soil 
with meal. [Sc-otrh.] 
Mini need lias hu tu say a grace, 
Ur melvie hi-, bra claithing. 
iluriw, Holy Fair. 
Melyridae (mc-lii-'i-do), . /it. [NL., < M</i/n. 
+ -irte.] A family of malacodermatous beetles. 
corresponding to Latreille's Melyrides, typified 
by the genus Mclyi'in. 
Melyrides (nic-lir'i-do/.), . /*/. [NL., pi. of 
Miii/rifi. ] In Latreille's classification, the third 
tribe of Miilnroili-rmi, or soft pentamerous bee- 
tles. The palpi are generally filiform and short ; the 
mandibles notched : the antenna; mostly serrated, in some 
males pectinated; the joints of the tarsi entire; and the 
ungiics uiiidcntate or furnished with a membranous ap- 
pendage*. These beetles are mostly very agile, and are 
found upon flowers. Halacliitu, Dasyten, Zygia, 1'eleco- 
phorus, and Diylobiccrtts are named as leading genera. 
Melyris (me-li'ris), n. [NL. (Fabricius, 1775); 
origin obscure.] The typical genusof Mtluriilu: 
These Insects are ordinarily found upon flowers; they are 
generally of snnill size and very gaily colored. Most of 
in-ill are natives of Africa. 
mem. An abbreviation of memorandum, placed 
before a note of something to be remembered. 
member (mem'ber), n. [< ME. membre, < OF. 
(and F.) membre =. Sp. miembro = Pg. It. mem- 
bro, < L. membrum, a limb, member of the body, 
a part, portion, or division.] 1. An integral 
part of an animal body having a distinct func- 
tion ; a vital orjjan ; particularly, in common 
use, one of the limbs or extremities, as a leg, 
an firm, or a wing. 
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great 
things. .las. ill. 5. 
Where I was wont to feed you with my blood, 
I'll lop a member on*, and give it you. 
Shalt., I Hen. VI., v. 8. 15. 
2. Specifically, the private parts. 
The! gon alle naked, saf a litylle Clout, that thei coveren 
with here Knees and hire Membra. 
Mandeville, Travels, p. 197. 
3. Figuratively, anything likened to a part of 
the body. 
Baptism ; wherein I was made a member of Christ. 
Hook of Common Prayer, Catechism. 
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? 
1 Cor. vL 15. 
The Body of the Law is no less encumbered with super- 
fluous Members, that are like Virgil's Army, which he tells 
us was so crowded many of them had not Room to use 
their weapons. Addixon, Spectator, No. 21. 
4. A part of any aggregate or whole ; one of a 
number of associated parts or entities ; any unit 
or division that can be considered separately 
as part of a total. 
The figures and the membra of thine Astrolable. 
Chaucer, ProL to Astrolabe. 
They tax our policy, and call it cowardice ; 
Count wisdom as no member of the war. 
Shale., T. and C., i. 8. 198. 
Specifically (a) A person considered In relation to any 
aggregate of individuals to which he belongs . particu- 
larly, one who has united with or has been formally chosen 
as a corporate part of an association or public body of any 
kind, as n church or a society: often used elliptically in 
England for a member of Parliament, and In the United 
States for a member of Congress. 
There are not more useful meinberi in a commonwealth 
than merchants. Addition, The Royal Exchange. 
He [Sir John Dalrymple] was strenuously supported by 
Sir James Montgomery, member for Ayrshire. 
Mnnnilay. Hist. Eng., xill. 
(6) A part of a discourse, or of a period or sentence ; a 
clause; a part of a verse, (c) In arch., any subordinate 
part of a building, order, or composition, as a friexe, cor- 
nice, or molding. /) In aly., either of the two parts or 
sides of an equation united by the sign of equality ( = ). (c) 
In zool. and wit., a component of any higher classificatory 
group: thus, a species is a member of a genus; agenusisa 
number of a family, etc. Borough member, in the Brit- 
ish Parliament, a member of the House of Commons rep- 
resenting a borough. County member, in the British 
Parliament, a member of the House of Commons repre- 
senting a county or a division of a county. Divisive 
members. See divisive. =8yn. 1. Member, Limb. Limb 
is a precise term, in the human body applying to the arms 
and legs. We speak of the limb of n tree, nut rarely apply 
limb to the leg of an animal. The word has little nitura'- 
tlve use, except in science (see definition); such expres- 
sions as "MM of the law," for a lawyer, and "limb of the 
devil " for :i rogue. :ire Jocose, limb being used for member 
or part. Member is much freer in primary and In figura- 
tive uses for an integral or distinguishable part of a 
whole : as, a member of a sentence, of a family, of a so- 
ciety, of a state. " The tongue is a little member " (James 
iii. f.). and so is the eye, and each of the toes, but none of 
them is a limb. 
membered (mem'berd), a. [< member + -erf 2 .] 
llaviiii; members; especially, having limbs: 
used chiefly in composition, as \n-i<-nibered ; 
in her. (also memhrf}, used when tlip limbs are 
of a different tincture from the body. 
memberless (mem'ber-les), a. [< member + 
-/cm.] Destitute df members: simple or undi- 
vided. 
:(703 
membership (niem'lier-sliip), n. [< number + 
*l<ij>.] 1. The state of being a member; the 
office or posit ion of a member, as of Parliament . 
No advantages from external church membership or pro- 
fession of the true religion can of thflBMivw K" '' a man 
confidence towards tied. South, .Sermons, II. xl. 
Jetf rev Is perhaps on his way to Edinburgh to-day. He 
Is a candidate for the Uembcrtkiplhen. CarlyU, In rYoudc. 
!2. The members of a body regarded collective- 
ly: as, the whole membership of the church. 
membra., ". Plural of membrum. 
Membracidae (mem-bras'i-de), n. /il. [NL., < 
Mi mlirai (< Gr. uiuflpaf, a kind of cicada) + 
-/c'.] A f amily of nomopterous Hemiptera with 
three-jointed tarsi, typified by the genus Mrm- 
bracis. It It a large group of extraordinarily diversified 
and grotesque forms, the prothorax especially being the 
seat of remarkable modifications. The coloration is not 
less diversified. The antennae are short and setose, with 
thickened base beneath the expanded edge of the clypeus, 
below or a little before the eyes. The legs arc short and 
stout, and the hind tibiae are furnished with a terminal 
circlet of spines. The species, of which there are upward 
of 800, are all jumpers, and are generally known as tree- 
happen. They abound in tropical and subtropical Amer- 
ica, where more than half the known species are found ; 
there are many in Africa, some in Australia and the East 
Indies, but scarcely any in Europe. 
membracine (mem'bra-sin), a. and u, I. a. Of 
or pertaining to the Membracidas. 
II. . A member of the family Membracidce. 
Membracis (mem'bra-sis), n. [NL. (Fabricius, 
1776), < Gr. uift(}pa (p'e/ippaK-), a kind of cicada.] 
A genus of tree-hoppers, typical of the family 
Membracidae, having the two forward pairs of 
tibi broadly flattened and fitted very closely 
against the breast. It is very rich In species, among 
which are some of the most gaily colored and beautifully 
decorated members of the family. 
membral (mem'bral), a. [< NL. "membralis, < 
li. membrum, a limb, member: see member.'] In 
anat. and zool., of or pertaining to the limbs of an 
animal, as distinguished from the body proper; 
appendicular, as distinguished from axial (parts 
of the whole body).- Membral segment, a natural 
morphological division of a limb between two principal 
joints : thus, the forearm, between the elbow and the wrist, 
is a membral segment. See isomere. 
membranaceous (mem-bra-na'shius), a. [< L. 
membranaceus, of skin or membrane, < mem- 
brana, skin, membrane: see membrane.] Per- 
taining to or of the nature of membrane ; con- 
sisting of membrane ; membranous. 
Birds of Prey that live upon Animal Substances have 
membranaeeout, not muscular stomachs. 
Arbuthnot, Aliments, vl. 8. 
membrane (mem'bran), n. [< F. membrane = 
Sp. Pg. It. membrana, < L. membrana, the skin 
or membrane that covers the several members 
of the body, the thin skin of plants, a skin 
parchment (> Gr. nefippava, parchment), cover, 
surface, < membrum, member: seemember.] 1. 
A thin pliable expansive structure of the body ; 
an expansion of any soft tissue or part in the 
form of a sheet or layer, investing or lining 
some other structure or connecting two or more 
structures. The term Is used in the widest sense, with 
little or no reference to the kind of tissue which may be con- 
cerned, the membranous quality depending upon thinness 
and pliability, not upon texture or fabric. No hard parts, 
as bone and cartilage, come within the definition of mem- 
brane. Most membranesare fibrous that Is,consl8t wholly 
or in part of some form of connective tissue, in or on which 
may bo other and more special form-elements, as the lay- 
ers of cells peculiar to the mucous, the serous, and other 
special membranes. In some cases a sheet of nerve-tissue, 
or of muscle* tissue, constitutes a membrane, with little ad- 
mixture of other elements. Some membranes chiefly con- 
sist of a network of blood-vessels, with little connective 
tissue. .Most membranes are specified by qualifying terms. 
See phrases following. 
2. Iii ciitoni., specifically, the membranous ter- 
minal part of a hemielytrum ; the membrane of 
the fore wing of a hemipter. See cut under ela- 
rus. 3. A skin prepared for being written on. 
They consist of three bundles, containing In all 549 skins 
or membranes. Of these membrana, the greater part are 
vellum and parchment. 
English Gild(E. E. T. 8.), Int., p. xliv. 
Adipose, alveolar, atrtal membrane. See the ad- 
jectives. Alimentary mucous membrane. See ati- 
mentary. Arachnoid membrane, araneous mem- 
brane. Same us arachnoid, 2. Basal membrane of the 
ligula, in certain Colenptera, a narrow membranous part 
between the mentum and the ligula. When more fully 
developed it is called the Airtxx/Jniww. Basement mem- 
brane. See basement. Basilar membrane. Seeiwwior. 
Blastodermic membrane, the blastoderm. Bran- 
chiostegaL bronchial, cellular membrane. See the ad- 
jectives. Choroid membrane, the choroid. Conjunc- 
tival membrane, the conjunctiva. - Costocoracoid 
membrane, sec mstocnracoid. Crlcotnyroid mem- 
brane, the tough fibrous tissue which connects the cri- 
cold and thyroid cartilages.- Deciduous membrane, 
the dei-fdiin. Diphtheritic membrane, in pathnl., the 
false membrane formed in diphtheria, composed of ne- 
crosed epithelium, or of an exildate of pus. fibrin, and 
epithelial sc:ile*, or of these with necr-ise,! epithelium. 
False membrane, i" ;*>">"/., an unorganized mem- 
membrane 
brantfnrm layer, such as U produced in croupoiiBinrtaniniM 
tlon, when It is formed of pus and fibrous and necrosed 
epithelium In varying amounts. Fenestrated mem- 
brane. tutfHtmtratnl Flbroserous membrane. See 
/OrawMM. Germinal, Henlean, Henslovlaii, hya- 
loid, hyoglossal membrane. > the adjectives. Jn- 
terosseous membrane, a tough sheet of fascia connect 
ing twnlKMiesin their c"iiti unit \ : especially applied to such 
8 tissue between the ulna and the radius, and net ween th<- 
tibia and the fibula. Investing membrane, the first 
layer of cells which assumes a distinctly membranous fonn 
upon the surface of the cicatricula of the ovum. It was 
formerly called the teruut layer </ the germinal membrane. 
Jacob's membrane, the baclllary layer, or layer of rods 
and cones of the retina of the eye. .See bacillary. KraDM'l 
membrane, a membrane dividing the muscle-flber trans- 
versely, supposed to be indicated t>y the Intermediate line 
in the light disk of striated muscle-liber. Also called Do- 
bie's line, Dubis* ttripe. Limiting membrane of the 
retina, external and internal, the outer and inner boun- 
daries of the fibers of Mailer, presenting the appearance of 
continuous membranes, the outer lying between the outer 
nuclear layer and the layer of rods and cones, and the In- 
ner being next to the hyaloid membrane. Membrane 
Of Brucn, a structureless or finely lihrillatcd transparent 
membrane, lying between the choriocapillaris and the 
pigmented layer of the retina. Membrane of Cortl. 
Same as tect^rial membrane.- Membrane of Demours, 
or membrane of Deacemet, a transparent, glassy lam- 
ina, covering posteriorly the proper tissue of the cor- 
nea, itself lined with a single layer of eplthellold cells. 
Also called jxmteriur elastic lamina.- membrane Of 
Henle. Same as Henlean membrane. Membrane of 
Relssner, the membrane which separates the scala ves- 
tibuli of tne cochlea from the cocnlear canal or scala 
media. It extends obliquely from the spiral lamina to 
the outer wall of the cochlea. It Is a very delicate layer 
of connective tissue continuous with the periosteum of 
the upper surface of the bony lamina, and lined with pave- 
ment epithelium on Its lower side. Mucous membrane, 
the general lining membrane of the alimentary canal ana 
Its annexes, including the respiratory and urogenital pas- 
sages. It is one of the most extensive and the most com- 
plex of the membranes of the body, varying greatly in char- 
acter in different cases, and in different parts of its own 
extent, and may include various special glandular struc- 
tures, as mucous crypts, follicles, etc.. as well as the ap- 
propriate nerves, blood-vessels, and lymphatics. Mucous 
membrane consists essentially of a basement membrane 
(see basement\ which separates a free epithelial from a 
flbrovascular attached layer. The epithelium is a layer of 
cells of various kinds, as spheroidal, columnar, ciliated, etc. ; 
the nbrovascular layer consists of connective tissue with 
vessels, lymphatics, nerves, and often muscular fibers. Em- 
bedded in this membrane may be also the glandular struc- 
tures above mentioned: and the surface U often thrown up 
Into various ridges, villl, and papilla;. The structure Is 
essentially a secreting one, giving rise to mucous as well 
as to various other special secretions. At the openings of 
the body the mucous membrane is directly cont f nnous u ith 
the skin. The conjunctiva of the eye Is also a mucous mem- 
brane. Nasmyth's membrane, the entlcula dentia, or 
cuticle of a tooth; the epithelial investment of the ena- 
mel of a young tooth, which persists for a while and then 
wears off. Nictitating membrane, the winking mem- 
brane or winker ; the third eyelid. It is very highly devel- 
oped in some animals, as birds, in which It can be swept 
across the whole eye by means of appropriate muscles and 
tendons (see cut at eye> \ but in many others It Is rudimen- 
tary or wanting. In essential character it Is a fold of the 
conjunctival mucous membrane which when little devel- 
oped, or when not In action, lies at the Inner canthus of the 
eye. Obturator membrane, (a) The membrane or liga- 
ment nearly closing the obturator foramen, (b) The occlud- 
ing membrane of the fetal brain which closes the upper part 
of the fourth ventricle. Pituitary membrane, the mu- 
cous membraneof the nose ; the membrane lining the nasal 
passages, continuous with that of the pharynx, ear, eye, ami 
various sinuses of the skull. In a part of this membrane 
ramify the nerves of smell. Also called Schnruleriati 
membrane. Pupillary membrane, a delicate trans- 
parent vascular membrane of the fetal eye which closes 
the pupil for a time, and divides the space in which 
the iris is suspended Into two distinct chambers. It is 
sometimes persistent, causing blindness - Schneiderl- 
an membrane, the pituitary membrane: so called from 
the anatomist Schneider, who first showed the nasal 
mucus to be the product of this membrane, not of the 
brain, as had before been supposed. Semilunar mem- 
brane, in ornith. . the membrane of the syrinx or lower 
larynx. It is a delicate, highly vibratile membrane, with 
a free concave upper margin ascending in the trachea 
from the pessulns or cross-bar of the syrinx, and consti- 
tutes a part of the vocal organs, like a vocal cord of the 
larynx of a mammal. Serous membrane, a thin mem- 
brane of connective tissue,of mesoblastlc origin, lined wit h 
a simple layer of flattened epithelial cells. These cells are 
joined together along lines which are sometimes straight 
but usually sinuous or jagged. Between them here and 
there are openings (stomata) of lymphatic vessels. Mem- 
branes of this kind line certain cavities of the body, and 
are reflected over the contained viscera, forming in this 
way a shut sac. moistened with lymph and communicating 
with the lymphatic vessels through the stomata. The best 
exam pies of serous membranes are the pleura?, the pericar- 
dium, the peritoneum, and the tunica; vaginalea. 8ub- 
radular membrane, a membrane situated under the 
radula or lingual ribbon of the odontophore of a mollnsk. 
Synovia! membrane, the membrane which lines the 
joints and secretes synovia or synovia! fluid, the glairy sub- 
stance which lubricates the joint and facilitates its move- 
ments. The membrane passes gradually into the articu- 
lar cartilage. Such membranes consist chiefly of con- 
nective tissue, with vessels and nerves, covered here and 
there with patches of epithelial cells. Tectorial mem- 
brane, in anat.. a strong elastic membrane in the coch- 
lear cniml of the ear, lying above and parallel with the 
basilar membrane, extending outward from the limbus 
spiralis part way toward the outer wall of the cochlea, 
and covering the Cortian organ, upon the rods of which it 
resta. It is thin at its origin at the limbns spiralis. then 
thickens, and again tapers toward the free outer extrem- 
ity. Also called membranenf Corfu - Thyrohyoid mem- 
