pellicule

Pellicule is a French term meaning a small skin or film. In English usage, the word is uncommon, but it appears in specialized contexts and as a loanword to denote a thin, film-like layer. The sense is shared with pellicle, from the same Latin root pellicula meaning “little skin.”

In photography and cinema, pellicule refers to a roll of photographic film on which images are recorded. Historically this included cellulose nitrate stock and later safety films such as cellulose triacetate. Films were produced as negatives for black-and-white or color photography and as reversal or “slide” formats. With the rise of digital imaging, film stock use has declined, though some filmmakers and photographers continue to shoot on film for aesthetic reasons.

In biology, pellicle denotes a thin skin-like layer that covers or lies just beneath the cell membrane of certain organisms. In protozoa such as Paramecium, the pellicle is a flexible outer layer that provides shape and protection. The term is also used to describe a surface film formed by microorganisms on liquid cultures.

In dentistry, the enamel pellicle is a proteinaceous film formed by saliva on tooth surfaces, serving as a substrate for bacterial adhesion and influencing mineralization and demineralization processes. The word thus broadly covers thin films or skins across disciplines.