[myoo-koh-suh, -zuh] 
| mu·co·sa (myōō-kō'sə) n. pl. mu·co·sae (-sē) or mu·co·sas See mucous membrane. [From Latin mūcōsa, feminine of mūcōsus, mucous; see mucous.] mu·co'sal adj. |
| mucous membrane n. A membrane lining all body passages that communicate with the air, such as the respiratory and alimentary tracts, and having cells and associated glands that secrete mucus. Also called mucosa. |
mucosa mu·co·sa (my&oomacr;-kō'sə)
n. pl. mu·co·sas or mu·co·sae (-sē)
See mucous membrane.
mucosa
membrane lining bodily cavities and canals that lead to the outside, chiefly the respiratory, digestive, and urogenital tracts. Mucous membranes line many tracts and structures of the body, including the mouth, nose, eyelids, windpipe and lungs, stomach and intestines, and the ureters, urethra, and urinary bladder. The membranes vary in structure, but they all have a surface layer of epithelial cells over a deeper layer of connective tissue. They are called mucous because they contain cells that secrete mucin, a mucopolysaccharide that is the principal constituent of mucus.
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