1. Literally and nonspecifically, a thin skin. 2. A film or scum on the surface of a liquid. 3. Cell boundary of sporozoites and merozoites among members of the protozoan subphylum Apicomplexa (Sporozoa), consisting of an outer unit membrane and an inner layer of two unit membranes. [L. pellicula, dim of pellis, skin]
- acquired p. a thin film (about 1 μm), derived mainly from salivary glycoproteins, that forms over the surface of a cleansed tooth crown when it is exposed to the saliva. SYN: acquired cuticle, acquired enamel cuticle, brown p., posteruption cuticle.
- brown p. SYN: acquired p..
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a) an outer membrane of some protozoans (as euglenoids or paramecia)
b) a bacterial growth in the form of a sheet on the surface of a liquid medium
c) a thin layer of salivary glycoproteins coating the surface of the teeth
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n.
a thin layer of skin, membrane, or any other substance.
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pel·li·cle (pelґĭ-kəl) [L. pellicula] 1. a thin skin or film, such as a thin film on the surface of a liquid. 2. in ciliate protozoa, a living outer layer of denser cytoplasm containing the peripheral and surface organelles.Medical dictionary. 2011.