epidermis
Americannoun
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Anatomy. the outer, nonvascular, nonsensitive layer of the skin, covering the true skin or corium.
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Zoology. the outermost living layer of an animal, usually composed of one or more layers of cells.
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Botany. a thin layer of cells forming the outer integument of seed plants and ferns.
noun
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Also called: cuticle. the thin protective outer layer of the skin, composed of stratified epithelial tissue
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the outer layer of cells of an invertebrate
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the outer protective layer of cells of a plant, which may be thickened by a cuticle
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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.
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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.
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See more at photosynthesis
Other Word Forms
- epidermal adjective
- epidermic adjective
- epidermically adverb
Etymology
Origin of epidermis
1620–30; < Late Latin: surface skin < Greek epidermís upper skin. See epi-, derma 1
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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.
"No one likes to lose hair, but when it comes down to survival in stressful times, repairing the epidermis takes precedence," says Fuchs.
From Science Daily
They expand clonally instead, aided by KIT ligand signals released from surrounding tissue and the epidermis.
From Science Daily
Butts are, after all, the indoor kids of the epidermis.
From Salon
"We discovered at least two different stem cell populations -- one that regenerates tissues such as epidermis and neurons, and another that forms muscles and connective tissue," says Adelmann.
From Science Daily
This process could be linked to the initiation of programmed keratinocyte death, a natural process in the epidermis.
From Science Daily
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.
