Excorticate
/ɛkˈskɔːr.tɪ.keɪt/noun
To strip off the bark, skin, or outer layer of something.
Did you know?Excorticate comes from Latin ex- (“out”) + cortex (“bark, rind, outer skin”), and cortex shares an ancient root with words like skirt and curtain — all originally ideas of covering or enclosing.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
ex- + cortex
“to strip off the bark or outer skin”
Latin
Latin
cortex
“bark, rind, shell, outer skin”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut, separate, or split”
Middle English
English
excorticate
“to strip off the bark or skin”
Modern English
English
excorticate
“to strip off the bark, skin, or outer layer”