Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (1)
1.
a dense fibrous membrane covering the surface of bones (except at their extremities) and serving as an attachment for tendons and muscles;
contains nerves and blood vessels that nourish the enclosed bone;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Periosteum \Per`i*os"te*um\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. perio`steos round
the bones; peri` around + 'oste`on a bone: cf. L.
periosteon.] (Anat.)
The membrane of fibrous connective tissue which closely
invests all bones except at the articular surfaces.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
periosteum
n 1: a dense fibrous membrane covering the surface of bones
(except at their extremities) and serving as an attachment
for tendons and muscles; contains nerves and blood vessels
that nourish the enclosed bone