Mucous \Mu"cous\, a. [L. mucosus, fr. mucus mucus.]

1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, mucus; slimy, ropy, or stringy, and lubricous; as, a mucous substance.

2. Secreting a slimy or mucigenous substance; as, the mucous membrane.

Mucous membrane. (Anat.) See under Membrane.

Mucous patches (Med.), elevated patches found in the mucous membranes of the mouth and anus, usually due to syphilis.

Mucous tissue (Anat.), a form of connective tissue in an early stage of development, found in the umbilical cord and in the embryo, and also in certain tumors called myxomata.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)