denude

[ dih-nood, -nyood ]

verb (used with object)

, de·nud·ed, de·nud·ing.

1. to make naked or bare; strip:

   The storm completely denuded the trees.

2. Geology. to subject to denudation.

denude

/ ˌdiː-; dɪˈnjuːd; ˌdɛnjʊˈdeɪʃən /

verb

1. to divest of covering; make bare; uncover; strip
2. to expose (rock) by the erosion of the layers above

Derived Forms

• denudation, noun
• deˈnuder, noun

Other Words From

• de·nud·ed adjective
• de·nud·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of denude¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin dēnūdāre, equivalent to dē- de- + nūdāre “to lay bare”; nude

Word History and Origins

Origin of denude¹

C16: from Latin dēnūdāre; see nude

Example Sentences

With Southern California’s rainy season fast approaching, their most immediate concern was shoring up their soil-scorched slope to keep the denuded hillside from sliding into their yard.

From Los Angeles Times

After that, the next rain then sweeps denuded earth and debris into streams, physically displacing the frogs and other inhabitants and making it harder for them to forage.

From Los Angeles Times

Biologists are concerned that if the fire burns intensely in the watershed, denuded earth and ash could fill the creeks when rains come, seriously harming water quality and potentially killing fish.

From Los Angeles Times

Since the reservoirs were drained in January, the river has returned to its channel, flowing through denuded lands that have been underwater for generations.

From Los Angeles Times

The contrast between forested mountainsides still covered in a healthy amount of snow and the burned, denuded ones drying much more quickly paints a grim picture of the San Gabriels’ future under climate change.

From Los Angeles Times