cornification

[ kawr-nuh-fi-key-shuhn ]

noun

, Biology.

1. the formation of a horny layer of skin, or horny skin structures, as hair, nails, or scales, from squamous epithelial cells.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornification¹

First recorded in 1835–45; corn ² + -i- + -fication

Example Sentences

Nails arise in the interior of the epidermis by the thickening and cornification of the stratum lucidum.

From Project Gutenberg