Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

exfoliate

/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.39 in modern English

Syllables
ex-fo-li-ate
IPA
/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/
19
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To remove the leaves from a plant.

verb

To remove a layer of dead skin cells, as in cosmetic preparation.

verb

To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales as the result of heat or decomposition.

Etymology

From Late Latin exfoliō (“to strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *bʰleh₃-, exfoliō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/
  • British English: /ɛksˈfəʊlieɪt/

Inflected Forms

exfoliates (present, singular) exfoliating (participle, present) exfoliated (participle, past) exfoliated (past)

Derived Forms

exfoliable exfoliant exfoliatin exfoliating exfoliation exfoliative exfoliator foliate foliation overexfoliate unexfoliated

Synonyms

defoliate unleave unleaf

Questions

How do you pronounce exfoliate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/.
What does exfoliate mean?
To remove the leaves from a plant.
Where does exfoliate come from?
From Late Latin exfoliō (“to strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.

How to pronounce exfoliate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “exfoliate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɛksˈfoʊlieɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “exfoliate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “exfoliate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.