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Today’s Word

Part of Speech

verb

Definition

1. To wear off the skin of.
2. To censure scathingly.
3. To denounce or berate severely.

History

Excoriate, which first appeared in English in the 15th century, comes from “excoriatus,” the past participle of the Late Latin verb excoriare, meaning “to strip off the hide.” “Excoriare” was itself formed from a pairing of the Latin prefix ex-, meaning “out,” and corium, meaning “skin” or “hide” or “leather.” “Corium” has several other descendants in English. One is “cuirass,” a name for a piece of armor that covers the body from neck to waist (or something, such as bony plates covering an animal, that resembles such armor). Another is “corium” itself, which is sometimes used as a synonym of “dermis” (the inner layer of human skin).

~excoriate

Synonyms

abrade, bash, lambaste

Near Antonyms

acclaim, compliment, laud

Usage and Examples

Here are a couple of examples:

• Winning the presidency opened a new opportunity for pundits to excoriate both Jack Duncan and his administration.
• He waited outside the door to excoriate his friends, even through they were not responsible for his misery.