EXFOLIATE


Meaning of EXFOLIATE in English

— exfoliative /eks foh"lee ay'tiv, -euh tiv/ , adj.

/eks foh"lee ayt'/ , v. , exfoliated, exfoliating .

v.t.

1. to throw off in scales, splinters, etc.

2. to remove the surface of (a bone, the skin, etc.) in scales or laminae.

v.i.

3. to throw off scales or flakes; peel off in thin fragments: The bark of some trees exfoliates.

4. Geol.

a. to split or swell into a scaly aggregate, as certain minerals when heated.

b. to separate into rudely concentric layers or sheets, as certain rocks during weathering.

5. Med. to separate and come off in scales, as scaling skin or any structure separating in flakes.

[ 1605-15; exfoliatus ptp. of exfoliare to strip off leaves. See EX- 1 , FOLIATE ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .