Exfoliate (Verb)
Meaning 1
Cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The rocks tend to exfoliate in layers as they are exposed to heat and sun.
- This chemical compound exfoliates in micro-laminae when heated to high temperatures.
- Over time, the cliff's outer surface can exfoliate in sheets of granite.
- Weathered rocks often exfoliate in thin sheets or scales that resemble flaked paint.
- The mineral's surface will exfoliate in crystalline splinters, reflecting hues of pink and white.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Spread by opening the leaves of.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- Exfoliate the petals of a flower by carefully opening its delicate layers to reveal the inner details of the blossom.
- You can see the shedding skin when you exfoliate the leaves of a succulent plant by gently pulling them apart.
- As the tree prepares for spring, it will begin to exfoliate the layers of dead bark that have protected it from the cold.
- This gentle gardening tool can be used to exfoliate the individual leaves of a delicate fern to help them grow and flourish.
- When repotting your orchid, take the opportunity to exfoliate the old potting mix away from the roots by carefully opening the leaves that wrap around them.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Come off in a very thin piece.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- Dead cells tend to exfoliate and form dandruff flakes in people suffering from dandruff.
- The old paint would gently begin to exfoliate, revealing a beautifully preserved fresco beneath the deteriorating walls.
- The snake's skin would periodically exfoliate, uncovering scales of a brighter hue as it molted.
- The soil would crumble and its top layer would exfoliate as weathering broke down the minerals within the stone into smaller, more manageable fragments.
- As I applied the pumice stone, the callus on my foot would slowly start to exfoliate, gradually smoothing down over the course of several uses.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Remove the surface, in scales or laminae.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The doctor explained to the patient that they need to exfoliate the affected area to allow for the growth of healthy skin cells.
- Exfoliating once a week helps get rid of dead skin cells, revealing smoother, brighter skin.
- Chemical peels work by gently exfoliating the topmost layer of the skin to help treat conditions like hyperpigmentation.
- Regularly exfoliating calloused areas of the skin can help prevent future skin buildup.
- The esthetician used a gentle brush to help exfoliate the rough patches on her client's feet.
Related Words
Meaning 5
Grow by producing or unfolding leaves; "plants exfoliate".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- Plants like succulents and aloe exfoliate their outer skin layers to replace damaged or worn-out skin tissues.
- Ferns begin to exfoliate as the new fronds emerge from the rhizome.
- Cacti exfoliate in sections, usually in response to stress or injury.
- Bamboo exfoliates by shedding its outer skin layers as the plant grows.
- In trees, the bark of some species naturally exfoliates as the tree grows in diameter.