kalvomainen

Kalvomainen is a Finnish adjective meaning membranous or membrane-like. It is used to describe structures that resemble or consist of a membrane and are typically thin, sheet-like, and flexible. The term is built from the noun kalvo, meaning membrane, with the suffix -mainen, which denotes resemblance or characteristic.

In scientific and medical Finnish, kalvomainen describes morphology rather than composition. It is commonly applied to thin, continuous layers such as kalvomainen epiteeli (membranous epithelium) or other sheet-like coverings. The descriptor helps distinguish membranous, film-like appearances from solid, fibrous, or globular tissues.

Kalvomainen is a neutral, descriptive term and is appropriate when a membrane-like quality is central to the description but not intended to specify the material or origin of the layer. In English translations, kalvomainen is most often rendered as membranous.

See also: kalvo (membrane), membranous.