| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| excoriate |
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| SYLLABICATION: | ex·co·ri·ate |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   k-skôr  - t , -sk r- |
| TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: ex·co·ri·at·ed, ex·co·ri·at·ing, ex·co·ri·ates
1. To tear or wear off the skin of; abrade. See synonyms at chafe. 2. To censure strongly; denounce: an editorial that excoriated the administration for its inaction. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English excoriaten, from Latin excorire, excorit- : ex-, ex- + corium, skin; see sker-1 in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | ex·cori·ation —NOUN
ex·cori·ator —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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