epidermis

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the outer layer of the skin in vertebrate animals, lying above the dermis

   New cells formed in the lower epidermis gradually move toward the skin's surface.

2. 2
   noun

   the outer protective layer of cells covering a plant, leaf, root, or invertebrate body

   Stomata in the leaf epidermis regulate the exchange of gases.

Borrowed through Latin epidermis from Greek epidermis, 'outer skin,' formed from epi-, 'upon or over,' and derma, 'skin.' Anatomy applies it to the outer skin above the dermis, while botany and zoology use it for comparable protective surface layers.

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