Desquamate
/ˈdɛskwəˌmeɪt/noun
To shed or peel off in scales or layers, especially of skin.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin medical vocabulary built on squama, “scale,” the same root behind the scientific term squamate for scaled reptiles.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
desquamare
“to scrape off scales; to shed scales”
Late Latin
Latin
desquamatio
“a scaling off, flaking”
16th–17th Century
English
desquamate
“to scale off; to shed in flakes or scales”
Modern English
English
desquamate
“to shed skin or peel off in scales”
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