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exfoliate

ex·fo·liate

UK/ɛksˈfəʊlieɪt/ US/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/ uncommon

verb

1.

spread by opening the leaves of

2.

cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters

3.

remove the surface, in scales or laminae

4.

come off in a very thin piece

5.

grow by producing or unfolding leaves

  • “plants exfoliate”

Origin

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

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.