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View synonyms for exfoliate
exfoliate
[ eks-foh-lee-eyt ]
verb (used with object)
, ex·fo·li·at·ed, ex·fo·li·at·ing.
- to throw off in scales, splinters, etc.
- to remove the surface of (a bone, the skin, etc.) in scales or laminae.
verb (used without object)
, ex·fo·li·at·ed, ex·fo·li·at·ing.
- to throw off scales or flakes; peel off in thin fragments:
The bark of some trees exfoliates.
- Geology.
- to split or swell into a scaly aggregate, as certain minerals when heated.
- to separate into rudely concentric layers or sheets, as certain rocks during weathering.
- Medicine/Medical. to separate and come off in scales, as scaling skin or any structure separating in flakes.
exfoliate
/ ɛksˈfəʊlɪˌeɪt /
verb
- tr to wash (a part of the body) with a granular cosmetic preparation in order to remove dead cells from the skin's surface
- (of bark, skin, etc) to peel off in (layers, flakes, or scales)
- intr (of rocks or minerals) to shed the thin outermost layer because of weathering or heating
- (of some minerals, esp mica) to split or cause to split into thin flakes
a factory to exfoliate vermiculite
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Derived Forms
- exˈfoliative, adjective
- exˌfoliˈation, noun
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Other Words From
- ex·fo·li·a·tive [eks-, foh, -lee-ey-tiv, -, uh, -tiv], adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of exfoliate1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of exfoliate1
C17: from Late Latin exfoliāre to strip off leaves, from Latin folium leaf
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Example Sentences
“I enjoy dating beardy blokes because you get to kiss and exfoliate at the same time,” she quips to The Daily Beast.
From The Daily Beast
The loch having been drained away, we proceeded to exfoliate the crannog.
From Project Gutenberg
A layer of the exposed surface of bone will probably exfoliate, and the wound granulate and become closed without further trouble.
From Project Gutenberg
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