horny layer
- noun
- /ˈhɔrni ˈleɪər/
- Specialized
:
capa córnea
- The horny layer acts as a barrier to protect underlying tissues from infection and dehydration.
Examples
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Daily exfoliation helps remove dead cells from the horny layer of the skin.
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As we age, the horny layer can become thicker or thinner depending on skin health.
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The horny layer protects the underlying skin.
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The horny layers of skin are constantly renewing.
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Daily exfoliation helps remove dead cells from the horny layer of the skin.
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As we age, the horny layer can become thicker or thinner depending on skin health.
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The horny layer acts as a barrier to protect underlying tissues from infection and dehydration.
Synonyms
The outer layer of skin made of dead cells that are shed
The outer layer of skin made of dead flat cells that fall off regularly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'horny' (horn-like, corneous) + 'layer' (a stratum), so a learner who knows the technical sense of 'horny' can derive 'a layer of horn-like/corneous material' — i.e. the outermost epidermis. This construction also has clear equivalents in other languages (e.g. Spanish 'capa córnea', French 'couche cornée'), supporting cross-linguistic transparency; only learners who only know the colloquial sexual sense of 'horny' might be misled.
Etymology
The name horny layer comes from the old meaning of horny, like an animal horn, because the skin's top part is hard and made of dead cells. So horny layer means the outer skin layer that protects the body and slowly comes off.
