dermatome

American  

[dur-muh-tohm] / ˈdɜr məˌtoʊm /

noun

1. Anatomy. an area of skin that is supplied with the nerve fibers of a single, posterior, spinal root.

2. Surgery. a mechanical instrument for cutting thin sections of skin for grafting.

3. Embryology. the part of a mesodermal somite contributing to the development of the dermis.

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dermatome British  

/ ˈdɜːməˌtəʊm, ˌdɜːməˈtɒmɪk /

noun

1. a surgical instrument for cutting thin slices of skin, esp for grafting

2. the area of skin supplied by nerve fibres from a single posterior spinal root

3. embryol the part of a somite in a vertebrate embryo that gives rise to the dermis

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Other Word Forms

• dermatomal
  adjective
• dermatomic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dermatome

First recorded in 1925–30; derma ¹ + -tome

Example Sentences

With a dermatome they took skin, only 15/1,000 of an inch thick, from the trunk and legs.

From Time Magazine Archive