exfoliate
verb
- to peel off in concentric layers
- to shed bark, or leaves
- to remove dead skin
- to separate layered materials into nanomaterials
- remove a layer (as of skin)
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/ / /ɛksˈfəʊlieɪt/
verb
Etymology: From Late Latin exfoliō (“to strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.
- To remove the leaves from a plant.
- To remove a layer of dead skin cells, as in cosmetic preparation.
- To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales as the result of heat or decomposition.