What it means
The adjective form. A mucous membrane, or mucosamyoo-KOH-suhThe moist lining of body passages that open to the outside, such as the mouth, nose, gut and bladder.Full entry , is a lining that makes mucusMYOO-kusThe thick, slippery fluid made by mucous membranes that moistens and protects them.Full entry ; mucous glands make it. It sounds the same as mucus, the noun for the slippery fluid itself, which causes many spelling mistakes in charts and on tests.
Remember it
Mucous with an "o" describes; mucus is the stuff.
At a glance
| Spanish | mucoso |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
mucus
The thick, slippery fluid made by mucous membranes that moistens and protects them.
Related terms
mucosa
The moist lining of body passages that open to the outside, such as the mouth, nose, gut and bladder.
mucus
The thick, slippery fluid made by mucous membranes that moistens and protects them.
membrane
A thin layer of tissue that covers, lines or separates parts of the body, or the outer layer of a cell.