epidermis

[ ep-i-dur-mis ]

/ ˌɛp ɪˈdɜr mɪs /

noun

Anatomy. the outer, nonvascular, nonsensitive layer of the skin, covering the true skin or corium.

Zoology. the outermost living layer of an animal, usually composed of one or more layers of cells.

Botany. a thin layer of cells forming the outer integument of seed plants and ferns.

Nearby words

epidemiology, epidendrum, epidermal cyst, epidermal ridge, epidermalization, epidermis, epidermitis, epidermodysplasia, epidermodysplasia verruciformis, epidermoid, epidermoid carcinoma

Origin of epidermis

1620–30; < Late Latin: surface skin < Greek epidermís upper skin. See epi-, derma¹

Related forms

ep·i·der·mal, ep·i·der·mic, adjectiveep·i·der·mi·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epidermal

The different species have characteristic tubes, formed by mucus secreted by epidermal glands.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
The radial marks, sharply defined and straight-sided, appear only on the newly formed parts of the epidermal laminae.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz|John M. Legler
Two other sets of structures belong also to the epidermal exoskeleton, viz.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The epidermal cells of this leaf are large and uniformly round.
A Handbook of Some South Indian Grasses|Rai Bahadur K. Ranga Achariyar

It appears that with the skin was found the epidermal sheath of a large unknown claw, which may have belonged to the same animal.
Through the Heart of Patagonia|H. Hesketh Prichard

British Dictionary definitions for epidermal

epidermis

/ (ˌɛpɪˈdɜːmɪs) /

noun

Also called: cuticle the thin protective outer layer of the skin, composed of stratified epithelial tissue

the outer layer of cells of an invertebrate

the outer protective layer of cells of a plant, which may be thickened by a cuticle

Derived Forms

epidermal, epidermic or epidermoid, adjective

Word Origin for epidermis

C17: via Late Latin from Greek, from epi- + derma skin

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

Medicine definitions for epidermal

epidermis

[ ĕp′ĭ-dûr′mĭs ]

n.

The nonvascular outer protective layer of the skin, covering the dermis.

Related forms

ep′i•der′mal (-məl) null adj.

Science definitions for epidermal

epidermis

[ ĕp′ĭ-dûr′mĭs ]

The protective outer layer of the skin. In invertebrate animals, the epidermis is made up of a single layer of cells. In vertebrates, it is made up of many layers of cells and overlies the dermis. Hair and feathers grow from the epidermis.

The outer layer of cells of the stems, roots, and leaves of plants. In most plants, the epidermis is a single layer of cells set close together to protect the plant from water loss, invasion by fungi, and physical damage. The epidermis that is exposed to air is covered with a protective substance called cuticle. See more at photosynthesis.

Culture definitions for epidermal

epidermis

[ (ep-uh-dur-mis) ]

The outside layers of the skin.