dermis

¹

[ dur-mis ]

noun

1. 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

1. a combining form meaning “skin,” “layer of tissue,” used in the formation of compound words:

   exodermis; gastrodermis.

dermis

/ ˈdɜːmɪs /

noun

1. See corium
   another name for corium

dermis

/ dûr′mĭs /

1. 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

Origin of dermis¹

1820–30; < New Latin; abstracted from epidermis

Origin of dermis²

On the model of epidermis; dermis

Word History and Origins

Origin of dermis¹

C19: New Latin, from epidermis

Example Sentences

Feathers, like hairs, arise from epidermal papillae which become imbedded in pits in the dermis.

From Project Gutenberg

Hairs are delicate epidermal structures which grow imbedded in little pits or follicles in the dermis.

From Project Gutenberg

The skin consists of an outer layer of epiblastic origin, the epidermis, and an inner layer of mesoblastic origin, the dermis.

From Project Gutenberg

In the young Jacare mentioned above, I found the dermis to be 27 distinguishable into two layers.

From Project Gutenberg

This vesicle is formed by the epidermis detached from the dermis, and elevated as a half sphere by serous liquid within.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bark
• coating
• crust
• fur
• husk
• jacket
• membrane
• rind
• sheath
• surface

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?

• endodermis
• exodermis
• hypodermis
• peridermis

 

 

What are some other forms that –dermis may be commonly confused with?

• demi-
• demo-
• demon-
• dendr-
• dento-
• spermat-
• sperm-

Break it down!

Exodermis is a term used in botany meaning “a temporary, protective layer of cells in some roots.”

The combining form exo- means “outer.” Given that and the meaning of -dermis, what is a literal translation of exodermis?