Geomembrane

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A synthetic impermeable membrane used to prevent fluid migration in construction and environmental projects ; a flexible liner material that blocks water or chemical seepage ; a barrier layer placed in landfills or reservoirs to ensure containment of liquids
2. A man-made sheet designed to hinder the passage of liquids in engineering work ; a flexible casing employed to separate different substances or prevent contamination ; a polyester or polymer film used for lining and sealing applications in civil engineering
3. An engineered membrane designed to block liquid flow beneath or within structures ; a manufactured layer used in earthworks to control leaks or infiltrations ; a sealing material typically utilized in waste containment or water retention systems

Etymology: "Geomembrane" is a plain technical compound, built from the combining form "geo-" (from Greek "gē", earth) and "membrane" (from Latin "membrana", a thin skin or covering). The earth-related prefix tells you where the material is meant to be used: it is a membrane laid down in the ground, in landfill cells, reservoirs, and similar civil and environmental works, rather than a membrane in the biological sense. The term describes the purpose of the material more than its composition. Modern geomembranes are usually sheets of polymer such as high-density polyethylene, pvc, or other synthetic plastics, chosen because they stop water and chemicals from moving through them. The "membrane" element carries the sense of a thin, flexible barrier, the same idea that gives us the word for the thin layers in living tissue.

Synonyms: liner, membrane liner