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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).
Examples of excoriate in a Sentence
Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Kiffin was excoriated by fans and media for abandoning his team, but neither Chambliss nor his family begrudge the coach for leaving.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Related Stories At a party backed by CAA and Vanity Fair, some conversations turned to whether the President might excoriate the media outlets that buy WHCD tables, and how long his remarks might last.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Longtime colleagues excoriated one another in internal town meetings.
—Steven F. Wilson, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for excoriate
Cite this Entry
“Excoriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excoriate. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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excoriate
verb
