Pellicle
/ˈpɛlɪkəl/noun
A thin skin, film, or membrane on a surface.
Did you know?Pellicle comes from Latin *pellicula*, a diminutive of *pellis* (“skin, hide”), the same ancient root behind words for leather and fur—so even a microscopic film was once imagined as a skin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to cover, skin, hide”
Latin
Latin
pellis
“skin, hide”
Late Latin
Latin
pellicula
“little skin, thin membrane”
Middle French
Old French
pelicule
“thin skin or film”
16th Century
English
pellicle
“a thin skin, film, or membrane”