Excoriate

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Excoriate \Ex*co"ri*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Excoriated}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {excoriating}.] [L. excoriare; ex out + corium
     hide. cf. {Scourge}; see {Cuirass}.]
     To strip or wear off the skin of; to abrade; to gall; to
     break and remove the cuticle of, in any manner, as by
     rubbing, beating, or by the action of acrid substances.


     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  excoriate
       v 1: express strong disapproval of; "We condemn the racism in
            South Africa"; "These ideas were reprobated" [syn: {condemn},
             {reprobate}, {decry}, {objurgate}]
       2: tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading; "This
          leash chafes the dog's neck" [syn: {chafe}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  26 Moby Thesaurus words for "excoriate":
     abrade, assail, attack, bark, blister, castigate, decorticate,
     flay, fret, fustigate, gall, lash, pare, peel, roast, rub, scalp,
     scarify, scathe, scorch, scourge, skin, skin alive, slash, strip,
     trounce