derma
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
Usage
What does -derma mean? The combining form -derma is used like a suffix representing the derma. The derma, also known as the dermis, is the dense inner layer of skin beneath the epidermis, which is the outermost (and thinner) part of the skin that we can see.The form -derma is specifically used to name skin disorders and is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology. It ultimately comes from the Greek dérma, meaning “skin.”As you may have already guessed, the Greek dérma is the source of the word derma itself. The word derma is sometimes used like a prefix or directly combined with other word forms, as in dermatherm and dermatome.The combining form -derma is closely related to other combining forms dealing with various senses of “skin,” including -derm, -dermatous, -dermis, dermato-, dermat-, dermo-, and derm-.Other variants of dermat- and dermato- are dermo- and derm-. Closely related to dermato- are the combining forms -derm, -derma, -dermatous, and -dermis. Learn more about their specific applications at our Words That Use articles for the forms.
Etymology
Origin of derma1
1825–35; New Latin < Greek dérma skin, equivalent to dér ( ein ) to skin + -ma noun suffix
Origin of derma2
< Yiddish derme, plural of darm intestine < Middle High German; akin to Old English thearm gut
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Owner Hiroyuki Asanuma is a dermatologist in Hokkaido who uses the word derma as the first part of all his horses’ names.
From Washington Times
Onion rolls slathered with butter, herring in thick cream sauce, brisket of beef with a side of stuffed derma, and other staples of our family cuisine disappeared from our table.
From The New Yorker
The word taxidermy derives from the Greek words “taxis,” meaning arrangement, and “derma,” meaning skin.
From Washington Times
So you wind up scrubbing that sort of derma blah blah more than you normally would.
From New York Times
The connective-tissue elements in the derma are also swollen, and exhibit reversion to the embryonal state.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
