exfoliate
English
Etymology
From Late Latin exfoliō (“I strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɛksˈfəʊlieɪt/
Audio (US): (file) - Hyphenation: ex‧fo‧li‧ate
Verb
exfoliate (third-person singular simple present exfoliates, present participle exfoliating, simple past and past participle exfoliated)
- To remove the leaves from a plant.
- To remove a layer of skin, as in cosmetic preparation.
- (mineralogy) To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales as the result of heat or decomposition.
Derived terms
Translations
to remove the leaves of a plant
|
to remove a layer of skin, as in cosmetic preparation
Latin
Verb
exfoliāte
- second-person plural present active imperative of exfoliō
Spanish
Verb
exfoliate