Adjacent Words

Exfoliate definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXFO'LIATE, v.i. [L. exfolio; ex and folium, a leaf.]
In surgery and mineralogy, to separate and come off in scales, as pieces of carious bone; to scale off, as the lamins of a mineral.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: spread by opening the leaves of
2: cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters
3: remove the surface, in scales or laminae
4: come off in a very thin piece
5: grow by producing or unfolding leaves; "plants exfoliate"

Merriam Webster's

verb (-ated; -ating) Etymology: Late Latin exfoliatus, past participle of exfoliare to strip of leaves, from Latin ex- + folium leaf — more at blade Date: 1612 transitive verb 1. to cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters 2. to remove the surface of in scales or laminae 3. to spread or extend by or as if by opening out leaves intransitive verb 1. to split into or give off scales, laminae, or body cells 2. to come off in thin layers or scales 3. to grow by or as if by producing or unfolding leaves • exfoliation noun • exfoliative adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.intr. 1 (of bone, the skin, a mineral, etc.) come off in scales or layers. 2 (of a tree) throw off layers of bark. Derivatives: exfoliation n. exfoliative adj. Etymology: LL exfoliare exfoliat- (as EX-(1), folium leaf)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exfoliate Ex*fo"li*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Exfoliated; p. pr. & vb. n. Exfoliating.] [L. exfoliare to strip of leaves; ex out, from + folium leaf.] 1. To separate and come off in scales or lamin[ae], as pieces of carious bone or of bark. 2. (Min.) To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales at the result of heat or decomposition.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exfoliate Ex*fo"li*ate v. t. To remove scales, lamin[ae], or splinters from the surface of.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(exfoliates, exfoliating, exfoliated) To exfoliate your skin means to remove the dead cells from its surface using something such as a brush or a special cream. Exfoliate your back at least once a week. VERB: V n, also V • exfoliating ...a gentle exfoliating cream. ADJ • exfoliation There is little doubt that skin does benefit from exfoliation.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Scale off, shell off, peel off, fall off in scales.

Moby Thesaurus

arrange in layers, breach, break, burst, bust, check, chip, crack, delaminate, desquamate, fissure, flake, flake off, fracture, laminate, lay down, lay up, layer, peel, rupture, scale, scale off, snap, split, stratify