The outer layer of skin or tissue, particularly in biological or anatomical contexts; an external dermal layer.
From Greek 'exo-' (outside) and 'derma' (skin). This anatomical term developed in 19th-century biology to distinguish external skin layers from inner layers in comparative anatomy.
Some organisms have dramatically different exoderms—a snake's scales, a fish's slime coat, and a human's hair-covered epidermis are all exoderms adapted perfectly for their environments, showing how evolution customizes our outermost layer.
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