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Glite Dictionary
to desquamate

to desquamate

9.9
To come off in thin flakes like skin after a sunburn
  • verb
  • /dɛsˈkwɑːmeɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : descamarse
  • After a sunburn, my skin began to desquamate, leaving behind soft, smooth skin.
  • desquamated cells
  • desquamated epithelial

Examples

  • However, the external auditory canal might be so filled with desquamated epithelium, cerumen, and mucopurulence that medications cannot effectively reach the target tissues.

    Academic text (2004)

  • They described this as allergic mucin, which consisted of degenerating eosinophils, desquamated respiratory epithelial cells, and Charcot-Leyden crystals.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Cerumen is a mixture of secretions produced by the sebaceous and ceruminous glands and substances such as desquamated epithelial cells, shed hairs, and foreign bodies.

    Academic text (2006)

  • When the old paint started to desquamate, I knew it was time to repaint the house.

  • As the winter season ends, animals desquamate their thick winter coats in preparation for spring.

Synonyms

to peel off
vsto desquamate
9 3.9

To come away in strips because of age or damage

refers to natural tissue shedding rather than wear or damage removal
to exfoliate
vsto desquamate
8 6.2

To come off in thin layers, like peeling bark

is a medical term used mainly for body tissue
to descale
vsto desquamate
5.3

To remove scales from a fish or hard white build-up inside kettles

describes natural thin flake shedding from living tissue rather than active scraping

How Flaky

to flake
12 2.6
to desquamate
  • Specialized
9.9
to peel
56 3.0
to shed
68 3.5

Surface Forms

desquamate infinitive
desquamated past
desquamated past participle
desquamating present participle
desquamates third person singular

Morphology

desquamate = squamate (opaque) = de + squam + ate

Although 'de-' is a productive reversative prefix, the base 'squamate' (and the root 'squam-') are technical Latin-derived forms unfamiliar to most learners, so the relation is not helpful for guessing the meaning.

Etymology

Desquamate comes from the Latin parts de- meaning 'off' and squama meaning 'scale' like a fish scale. So to desquamate is for skin to 'come off' in thin 'scales' or flakes, which is why the word describes peeling or shedding skin.