epidermis
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.
Origin of epidermis
1Other words from epidermis
- ep·i·der·mal, ep·i·der·mic, adjective
- ep·i·der·mi·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use epidermis in a sentence
These two strata were called by Stricker the nervous and epidermic layers, and these names have been very generally adopted.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourThe two former of these strata together constitute the epidermic layer of the skin, and the latter the mucous layer.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourOntogeny teaches unmistakably that its elementary organs, the epidermic cells, develop entirely from the ectoderm.
The Wonders of Life | Ernst HaeckelThe division of the epiblast into a nervous and epidermic stratum.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland BalfourA wart consists of both epidermic and papillary hypertrophy, the interior of the growth containing a vascular loop.
Essentials of Diseases of the Skin | Henry Weightman Stelwagon
British Dictionary definitions for epidermis
/ (ˌɛpɪˈdɜːmɪs) /
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
Origin of epidermis
1Derived forms of epidermis
- epidermal, epidermic or epidermoid, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for epidermis
[ (ep-uh-dur-mis) ]
The outside layers of the skin.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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