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pia-arachnoid --> leptomeninges

The two delicate layers of the meninges, the arachnoid mater and pia mater (vs. The tough pachymeninx or dura mater), considered together; by this concept, the arachnoid and pia are two parts of a single layer, much like the parietal and visceral layers of a serous membrane or bursa; although separated by the subarachnoid space they are connected via the arachnoid trabeculae and become continuous where the nerves and filum terminale exit the subarachnoid space (the cerebrospinal fluid-filled space bounded by the leptomeninges).

See: arachnoid, pia mater.

Synonym: meninx tenuis, pia-arachnoid, piarachnoid.

Origin: Lepto-_ G. Meninx, pl. Meninges, membrane