epIdermis

[Lat. epidermis; Gr. epidermis: epi=upon, and derma =the skin.] 1. Anatomy : (1) Human : The cuticle or scarf-skin constitut ing the external layer of the skin, and protecting the inner ones. It is thickest in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, where the skin is much exposed to pre ure. It has no ve els, but po e es nerves and a decidedly organized structure. On the inner surface of the mouth it is called Epithelium (q. v.). (2) Comparative : (a) A somewhat similar cuticle in several animals. (6) A layer of animal matter covering the shells of mollusks. 2. Bot .: A term which has been used in more senses than one. Thus in the Treasury of Botany it is defined as the true skin of a plant below the cuticle, while Mr. Robert Brown, F. L. S., writing in 1874, prefers using the term for the general integument as a whole, and dividing it into cuticle and derma.