Derm
/dɜːrm/noun
A combining form meaning skin, used in scientific and medical terms.
Did you know?Derm comes from Greek dérma, and that same root also survives in bizarrely unrelated words like taxidermy, literally the art of arranging skin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*der-
“to split, peel, or tear”
Ancient Greek
Greek
dérma (δέρμα)
“skin, hide”
Late Latin
Latin
derma
“skin”
Modern Scientific English
English
-derm
“skin; a skin-related combining form”
Explore more surprising origins