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desquamate

[ des-kwuh-meyt ]
/ ˈdɛs kwəˌmeɪt /
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verb (used without object), des·qua·mat·ed, des·qua·mat·ing.Pathology.
to come off in scales, as the skin in certain diseases; peel off.
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Origin of desquamate

First recorded in 1720–30, desquamate is from the Latin word dēsquāmātus (past participle of dēsquāmāre to remove scales from). See de-, squamate

OTHER WORDS FROM desquamate

des·qua·ma·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use desquamate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for desquamate

desquamate
/ (ˈdɛskwəˌmeɪt) /

verb
(intr) (esp of the skin in certain diseases) to peel or come off in scales

Derived forms of desquamate

desquamation, noun

Word Origin for desquamate

C18: from Latin dēsquāmāre to scale off, from de- + squāma a scale
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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