desquamate

verb

des·​qua·​mate ˈde-skwə-ˌmāt How to pronounce desquamate (audio)
desquamated; desquamating

intransitive verb

: to peel off in scales
desquamation
ˌde-skwə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce desquamate (audio)
noun

Word History

Etymology

Latin desquamatus, past participle of desquamare to scale, from de- + squama scale

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of desquamate was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near desquamate

despumation

desquamate

Desroches

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Desquamate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desquamate. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

desquamate

intransitive verb
des·​qua·​mate ˈdes-kwə-ˌmāt How to pronounce desquamate (audio)
desquamated; desquamating
: to peel off in the form of scales : scale off
desquamated epithelial cells
desquamation
ˌdes-kwə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce desquamate (audio)
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...