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   Ex·fo·li·ate

   /ekˈsfōlēˌāt/

   

   verb

   • 1. (of a material) come apart or be shed from a surface in scales or layers: "the bark exfoliates in papery flakes"
   • ▪ cause (a surface) to shed material in scales or layers: "salt solutions exfoliate rocks on evaporating"
   • ▪ wash or rub (a part of the body) with a granular substance to remove dead cells from the surface of the skin: "exfoliate your legs to get rid of dead skin"
   • ▪ shed (material) in scales or layers: "diagnosing cancer from cells exfoliated into the intestine"

   Word Origin mid 17th century: from late Latin exfoliat- ‘stripped of leaves’, from the verb exfoliare, from ex- ‘out, from’ + folium ‘leaf’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. exfoliation noun
   • 2. exfoliative adjective
   • 3. exfoliator noun

   Scrabble Points: 19

   • E

     1

   • X

     8

   • F

     4

   • O

     1

   • L

     1

   • I

     1

   • A

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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