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dermis
1[ dur-mis ]
noun
- Anatomy, Zoology. the dense inner layer of skin beneath the epidermis, composed of connective tissue, blood and lymph vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, and an elaborate sensory nerve network.
-dermis
2- a combining form meaning “skin,” “layer of tissue,” used in the formation of compound words:
exodermis; gastrodermis.
dermis
/ ˈdɜːmɪs /
noun
- another name for corium
dermis
/ dûr′mĭs /
- The innermost layer of the skin in vertebrate animals. The dermis lies under the epidermis and contains nerve endings and blood and lymph vessels. In mammals, the dermis also contains hair follicles and sweat glands.
Derived Forms
- ˈdermic, adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of dermis1
Example Sentences
Split-thickness grafts that contain mostly epidermis with only some of dermis can be used to cover larger areas, but they do not include features like hair and sweat glands, and are more prone to shrinkage and scarring.
They achieved both the hypodermis and dermis layers, with the epidermis forming within two weeks by itself.
As the skin undergoes photoaging, type I collagen bundles, which are found in the dermis beneath the top layer of the skin and provide strength and support to skin, become fragmented.
They are thought to provide clinical improvement by adding volume to the skin, but researchers have found that cross-linked hyaluronic acid also stimulates production of new type I collagen in the dermis.
The 3D fossil includes both an inner dermis layer—rarely preserved—and a tough epidermis, characterized by individual bands of folded scales separated by a flexible “hinge” region with no scales that would have allowed for growth and movement.
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Words That Use -dermis
What does -dermis mean?
The combining form -dermis is used like a suffix meaning “skin” or “layer of tissue.” It is used in a number of scientific terms, especially in botany and zoology.
This form is directly based on epidermis, the thin outer layer of the skin, from the Greek epidermís, “surface skin” (more on this word in the next section below).
The word dermis was extracted from epidermis and refers to the dense inner layer of skin. All of these words ultimately come from the Greek dérma, meaning “skin.”
The Greek dérma also helps form the word taxidermy. Discover more about its roots in our entry for the word.
Closely related to -dermis are the combining forms -derm, -derma, -dermatous, dermat-, dermato-, derm-, and dermo-. Learn their specific applications in our Words That Use articles for these forms.
Examples of -dermis
As noted above, the epidermis is the outer layer of the skin—most of the skin is actually beneath what we generally refer to as our skin.
The first portion of the word, epi-, means “upon” or “over,” among other senses. The second part of the word, -dermis, refers to “skin.” So, epidermis has a literal sense of “upper skin.”
What are some words that use the combining form –dermis?
What are some other forms that –dermis may be commonly confused with?
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