decorticate

American  

[dee-kawr-ti-keyt] / diˈkɔr tɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

decorticated, decorticating

1. to remove the bark, husk, or outer covering from.

2. Surgery. to remove the cortex from (an organ or structure).

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decorticate British  

/ diːˈkɔːtɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to remove the bark or some other outer layer from

2. surgery to remove the cortex of (an organ or part)

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Other Word Forms

• decortication
  noun
• decorticator
  noun
• undecorticated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of decorticate

1605–15; < Latin dēcorticātus (past participle of dēcorticāre to peel), equivalent to dē- de- + corticātus having bark, shell; see corticate

Example Sentences

Decorticate, de-kor′ti-kāt, v.t. to deprive of the bark, husk, or peel.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various