Exfoliate
/ˌɛksˈfoʊ.li.eɪt/noun
To shed or remove the outer layer or flakes from a surface, especially skin.
Did you know?It comes from Latin folium, “leaf,” the same ancient root behind words like foliage and defoliate, so the beauty ritual is secretly a botanical metaphor.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
exfoliāre
“to strip of leaves; to remove the leaves from”
Late Latin
Latin
exfoliātus
“stripped of leaves; shed in flakes”
Old French
Old French
exfolier
“to scale off, peel away”
16th Century
English
exfoliate
“to scale off or shed in thin flakes”
Modern English
English
exfoliate
“to remove dead skin or a surface layer by shedding or rubbing away”