The layer of skin beneath the epidermis; also refers to skin in general in medical and scientific contexts.
From Greek 'derma' meaning 'skin,' a root that appears across many medical and scientific terms. It comes from the same Indo-European root as English 'tear' (to rip) and relates to something that covers or is stripped.
The ancient Greeks knew derma well enough to name it—this shows that people have always been fascinated by skin as the boundary between self and world, literally where medicine touches us.
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