Dictionary entry

Dura mater

Webster's Dictionary 1913

‖Du″ra ma″ter (?). [L., lit., hard mother. The membrane was called mater, or mother, because it was formerly thought to give rise to every membrane of the body.] (Anat.) The tough, fibrous membrane, which lines the cavity of the skull and spinal column, and surrounds the brain and spinal cord; — frequently abbreviated to dura.