dermis

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.

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-

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?