You can mark you interesting snippets of text that will be available through a unique link in your browser.


epidermis

Translation
epidermis
—epidermal, epidermic, adj. —epidermically, adv.
/ep'i derr"mis/, n.
1. Anat. the outer, nonvascular, nonsensitive layer of the skin, covering the true skin or corium.
2. Zool. the outermost living layer of an animal, usually composed of one or more layers of cells.
3. Bot. a thin layer of cells forming the outer integument of seed plants and ferns.
[1620-30; < LL: surface skin < Gk epidermís upper skin. See EPI-, DERMA]

* * *

  in zoology, protective outermost portion of the skin. There are two layers of epidermis, the living basal layer, which is next to the dermis, and the external stratum corneum, or horny layer, which is composed of dead, keratin-filled cells that have migrated outward from the basal layer. The melanocytes, responsible for skin colour, are found in the basal cells. The epidermis has no blood supply and depends on diffusion from the dermal cells for its metabolic needs. The dead-cell layer of the stratum corneum provides the protection from water loss that allows vertebrates to dwell on land. keratin, produced in migrating epidermal cells, forms the basis of nails, feathers, beaks, and other epidermal derivatives. In humans, epidermal fragments are constantly shed, but the “skin,” or stratum corneum, of a snake is ordinarily shed all at once in a period of ecdysis.

▪ plant tissue
      in botany, outermost, protoderm-derived layer of cells covering the stem, root, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed parts of a plant. The epidermis and its waxy cuticle provide a protective barrier against mechanical injury, water loss, and infection. Various modified epidermal cells regulate transpiration, increase water absorption, and secrete substances.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Synonyms:

  
Share  

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Epidermis — may refer to: * Epidermis (botany), in plants, the outermost layer of cells covering the leaves and young parts of a plant * Epidermis (skin), in vertebrates, the outermost layer of the skin * Epidermis, in invertebrates, the outermost layers of… …   Wikipedia

  • epidermis — noun anat.; bot. эпидерма, эпидермис …   Англо-русский словарь Мюллера

  • epidermis — 1> анат. кожица, эпидерма, эпидермис …   Новый большой англо-русский словарь

  • Epidermis — bezeichnet: die Oberhaut bei mehrschichtiger Hautbildung bei Wirbeltieren, siehe Epidermis (Wirbeltiere) die äußere, einlagige Zellschicht bei Wirbellosen, siehe Epidermis (Wirbellose) ein Abschlussgewebe höherer Pflanzen, siehe Epidermis… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Epidermis — (gr., Epidermium), 1) (Anat.), Oberhaut (s.d.), die oberste Schicht der äußeren Haut; sie besteht aus Zellen, u. man kann verschiedene Schichten derselben unterscheiden, welche einen verschiedenen Grad von Schrumpfung zeigen, bis allmälig die… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • epidermis — epidermis, idis, f. (επίδημος), Haut auf einem Geschwüre, Schorf, Pelagon. veterin. 9. p. 49 = 182 Ihm. Veget. mul. 3, 61, 1 …   Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch

  • Epidermis — Epidermis, griech., die Oberhaut …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • epidermis — Capa superficial y avascular de la piel, formada por una capa externa, cornificada, muerta, y una capa celular viva profunda. Diccionario Mosby Medicina, Enfermería y Ciencias de la Salud, Ediciones Hancourt, S.A. 1999 …   Diccionario médico

  • Epidermis — The upper or outer layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin. The epidermis is mostly made up of flat, scale like cells called squamous cells. Under the squamous cells are round cells called basal cells. The deepest part of the… …   Medical dictionary

  • epidermis — ˌepɪˈdə:mɪs сущ.; анат.; бот. эпидерма, эпидермис (анатомия) кожица, эпидерма, эпидермис epidermis анат., бот. эпидерма, эпидермис …   Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь