pellicle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a very thin skin, membrane, or film covering a surface

   A delicate pellicle formed on the liquid after it stood overnight.

2. 2
   noun

   a protective outer layer surrounding certain microorganisms or other living structures

   The protozoan's flexible pellicle helped it retain its shape while moving.

From Latin pellicula, 'little skin,' the diminutive of pellis, 'skin or hide.' Scientific English adopted the word for exceptionally thin films and for protective surface layers in organisms; it is a doublet of pellicule.

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