exfoliate

/eks'foulieit/

Thân thiện

She gently exfoliates her skin with a soft brush in the shower.

Definition

1. Verb (Intransitive):

   • To shed or peel off in thin layers or scales: This refers to the natural process where a surface, especially skin or bark, comes off in small, flat pieces.
   • To grow by opening or unfolding leaves: This is a botanical term describing how plants develop by spreading their leaves.

2. Verb (Transitive):

   • To remove a surface layer in scales or flakes: This means to deliberately cause something to shed its outer layer or to remove that layer yourself.

Examples of Usage

• Verb (Intransitive):

  • My skin began to exfoliate after the sunburn.
  • In spring, the birch trees exfoliate their old bark.

• Verb (Transitive):

  • You should gently exfoliate your skin once a week to remove dead cells.
  • The geologist used a brush to exfoliate the weathered rock surface.

Advanced Usage

• In Dermatology/Skincare: The term is commonly used to describe the process of removing dead skin cells from the epidermis.

  • Chemical peels are designed to exfoliate the top layer of the skin.

• In Geology: Used to describe the weathering process where rock layers peel off.

  • The granite exfoliates due to pressure release, creating smooth, rounded domes.

Variants and Related Words

• Exfoliation (n): The process or result of exfoliating.

  • Regular exfoliation promotes smoother skin.

• Exfoliant (n): A substance or tool used to exfoliate.

  • This scrub contains natural exfoliants like sugar and salt.

• Exfoliative (adj): Relating to or causing exfoliation.

  • The patient has an exfoliative skin condition.

Synonyms

• Peel (v): To lose or remove an outer layer.
• Flake off (v): To come off in small, thin pieces.
• Desquamate (v): A medical term for the shedding of skin cells.
• Slough off (v): To cast off or shed a layer.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Exfoliate away: To remove by exfoliating. (Often used in instructional contexts).
  • This mask helps exfoliate away impurities.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• No common idioms directly use "exfoliate." The word is primarily used in technical, scientific, and skincare contexts with its literal meaning.

Học thuật

Verb

1. grow by producing or unfolding leaves
   • plants exfoliate
2. come off in a very thin piece
3. remove the surface, in scales or laminae
4. cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters
5. spread by opening the leaves of