Standard Lemma guide

pleura

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈplʊə.ɹə/
  • General-American: /ˈplʊɹ.ə/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʊəɹə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Each of a pair of smooth serous membranes which line the thorax and envelop the lungs in humans and other mammals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A lateral part in an animal body or structure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology, zootomy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

plural of pleuron

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the thin serous membrane around the lungs and inner walls of the chest

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: serous membrane, serosa

Narrower terms: parietal pleura, visceral pleura

History

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin pleura.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: плевра (plevra) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Catalan: pleura — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Chinese Mandarin: 胸膜 (xiōngmó) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Czech: pohrudnice — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Dutch: pleura — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Esperanto: pleŭro — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Finnish: keuhkopussi — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • French: plèvre — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Galician: teaz — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Greek: υπεζωκώς (ypezokós) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Italian: pleura — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Japanese: 胸膜 (kyōmaku) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Kazakh: өкпеқап (ökpeqap) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Māori: kiriuhi pūkahu — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Mongolian: цээжний гялтан (ceežnii gjaltan) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Mongolian: цээжний хальс (ceežnii xalʹs) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Polish: opłucna — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Portuguese: pleura — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Russian: пле́вра (plévra) — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Serbo-Croatian: porebrica — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Serbo-Croatian: pogrudnica — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Spanish: pleura — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Tagalog: bambambaga — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax
  • Vietnamese: màng phổi — serous membrane that covers the lungs and thorax