What is the dura mater?
The dura mater is called the dura mater. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as the tough, fibrous outermost of the three meninges.
What it is
- The tough, fibrous outermost of the three meninges.
- Its name is Latin for 'tough mother'.
- Encloses the venous sinuses of the brain.
Where it is
- Lines the inside of the skull.
- Continues down the vertebral canal around the spinal cord.
- Sends folds inward that partition the cranial cavity (falx cerebri, tentorium cerebelli).
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Last verified: 2026-07-18
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