noun
- Anatomy. the outer, nonvascular, nonsensitive layer of the skin, covering the true skin or corium.
- Zoology. the outermost living layer of an animal, usually composed of one or more layers of cells.
- Botany. a thin layer of cells forming the outer integument of seed plants and ferns.
noun
- Also called: cuticle the thin protective outer layer of the skin, composed of stratified epithelial tissue
- the outer layer of cells of an invertebrate
- the outer protective layer of cells of a plant, which may be thickened by a cuticle
1620s, from Greek epidermis, from epi “on” (see epi-) + derma “skin” (see derma). Related: Epidermal; epidermic.
n.
- The nonvascular outer protective layer of the skin, covering the dermis.
- The protective outer layer of the skin. In invertebrate animals, the epidermis is made up of a single layer of cells. In vertebrates, it is made up of many layers of cells and overlies the dermis. Hair and feathers grow from the epidermis.
- The outer layer of cells of the stems, roots, and leaves of plants. In most plants, the epidermis is a single layer of cells set close together to protect the plant from water loss, invasion by fungi, and physical damage. The epidermis that is exposed to air is covered with a protective substance called cuticle. See more at photosynthesis.
The outside layers of the skin.