exfoliate

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exfoliate

/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/ US
/ɛksˈfəʊlieɪt/ UK

Where it comes from

From Late Latin exfoliō (“to strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.

verb exfoliates · exfoliating · exfoliated

To remove the leaves from a plant.
Similar: defoliate, unleave, unleaf
To remove a layer of dead skin cells, as in cosmetic preparation.
To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales as the result of heat or decomposition.

Translations

Every language

verb to remove the leaves of a plant

Deutsch	entblättern

verb to remove a layer of skin, as in cosmetic preparation

Español	exfoliar
中文	去角質 /去角质 qùjiǎozhí
Português	exfoliar, esfoliar
Français	exfolier

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Cite this

MLA

"exfoliate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/exfoliate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

exfoliate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/exfoliate

Chicago

"exfoliate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/exfoliate.

BibTeX

@misc{exfoliate_2026,
  title = {exfoliate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/exfoliate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}