To remove the outer layer of skin, bark, or other material by rubbing, brushing, or scraping; to shed layers naturally.
From Latin 'ex-' (out) + 'folium' (leaf) + verb suffix '-ate'. Originally meant 'to strip off leaves,' then extended to any layered material.
When you exfoliate your skin with a scrub or chemical peel, you're literally doing what the word originally meant—removing layers like peeling off leaves from a plant stem—which is why the Latin root is 'folium' (leaf).
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