Medical Term:
pia mater
Pronunciation: pī′ă mā′tĕr, pē′ă mah′tĕr
Definition: A delicate vasculated fibrous membrane firmly adherent to the glial capsule of the brain (pia mater cranialis [TA]) and spinal cord (pia mater spinalis [TA] or membrana limitans gliae); following exactly the outer markings of the cerebrum and also the ependymal lining circumference of the choroid membranes and plexus, it invests the cerebellum but not so intimately as it does the cerebrum, not dipping down into all the smaller sulci. The pia mater and the arachnoid are collectively called leptomeninx [TA], as distinguished from dura mater or pachymeninx.
Synonym(s): pia
[L. tender, affectionate mother]
