Epidermis
/ˌɛpɪˈdɜːrmɪs/noun
The outer layer of skin covering the body.
Did you know?Epidermis comes from Greek medical vocabulary: epi- meant “upon” and derma meant “skin,” so the word is a precise anatomical layering term, not a mystical one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*der-
“to split, flay, or skin”
Ancient Greek
Greek
derma
“skin, hide”
Ancient Greek
Greek
epi- + derma
“upon the skin”
Late Latin
Latin
epidermis
“the outer skin or cuticle”
Middle English
English
epidermis
“the outer layer of the skin”
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