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Skin
Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different developmental origin, structure and chemical composition. The adjective cutaneous means “of the skin” (from Latin cutis, skin). In mammals, the skin is an organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of ectodermal tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Skin of a different nature exists in amphibians, reptiles, and birds. All mammals have some hair on their skin, even marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises which appear to be hairless.
The skin interfaces with the environment and is the first line of defense from external factors. For example, the skin plays a key role in protecting the body against pathogens and excessive water loss. Its other functions are insulation, temperature regulation, sensation, and the production of vitamin D folates. Severely damaged skin may heal by forming scar tissue. This is sometimes discoloured and depigmented. The thickness of skin also varies from location to location on an organism. In humans for example, the skin located under the eyes and around the eyelids is the thinnest skin in the body at 0.5 mm thick, and is one of the first areas to show signs of aging such as “crows feet” and wrinkles. The skin on the palms and the soles of the feet is 4 mm thick and is the thickest skin on the body. The speed and quality of wound healing in skin is promoted by the reception of estrogen.Fur is dense hair. Primarily, fur augments the insulation the skin provides but can also serve as a secondary sexual characteristic or as camouflage. On some animals, the skin is very hard and thick, and can be processed to create leather. Reptiles and fish have hard protective scales on their skin for protection, and birds have hard feathers, all made of tough β-keratins. Amphibian skin is not a strong barrier, especially regarding the passage of chemicals via skin and is often subject to osmosis and diffusive forces. For example, a frog sitting in an anesthetic solution would be sedated quickly, as the chemical diffuses through its skin. Amphibian skin plays key roles in everyday survival and their ability to exploit a wide range of habitats and ecological conditions.
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Tegument (noun)
Something which covers; a covering or coating.
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Tegument (noun)
A natural covering of the body or of a bodily organ; an integument.
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Skin (noun)
The outer protective layer of the body of any animal, including of a human.
“He is so disgusting he makes my skin crawl.”
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Skin (noun)
The outer protective layer of the fruit of a plant.
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Skin (noun)
The skin and fur of an individual animal used by humans for clothing, upholstery, etc.
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Skin (noun)
A congealed layer on the surface of a liquid.
“In order to get to the rest of the paint in the can, you′ll have to remove the skin floating on top of it.”
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Skin (noun)
A set of resources that modifies the appearance and/or layout of the graphical user interface of a computer program.
“You can use this skin to change how the browser looks.”
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Skin (noun)
An alternate appearance (texture map or geometry) for a character model in a video game.
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Skin (noun)
Rolling paper for cigarettes.
“Pass me a skin, mate.”
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Skin (noun)
clipping of skinhead
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Skin (noun)
A subgroup of Australian aboriginal people; such divisions are cultural and not related to an individual′s physical skin.
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Skin (noun)
Bare flesh, particularly bare breasts.
“Let me see a bit of skin.”
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Skin (noun)
A vessel made of skin, used for holding liquids.
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Skin (noun)
That part of a sail, when furled, which remains on the outside and covers the whole.
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Skin (noun)
The covering, as of planking or iron plates, outside the framing, forming the sides and bottom of a vessel; the shell; also, a lining inside the framing.
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Skin (noun)
A drink of whisky served hot.
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Skin (verb)
To injure the skin of.
“He fell off his bike and skinned his knee on the concrete.”
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Skin (verb)
To remove the skin and/or fur of an animal or a human.
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Skin (verb)
To high five.
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Skin (verb)
To apply a skin to (a computer program).
“Can I skin the application to put the picture of my cat on it?”
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Skin (verb)
To use tricks to go past a defender.
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Skin (verb)
To become covered with skin.
“A wound eventually skins over.”
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Skin (verb)
To cover with skin, or as if with skin; hence, to cover superficially.
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Skin (verb)
To produce, in recitation, examination, etc., the work of another for one’s own, or to use cribs, memoranda, etc., which are prohibited.
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Skin (verb)
To strip of money or property; to cheat.
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Skin (noun)
the thin layer of tissue forming the natural outer covering of the body of a person or animal
“a flap of skin”
“I use body lotion to keep my skin supple”
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Skin (noun)
the skin of a dead animal with or without the fur, used as material for clothing or other items
“is this real crocodile skin?”
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Skin (noun)
a container made from the skin of an animal such as a goat, used for holding liquids
“a skin filled with water”
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Skin (noun)
the peel or outer layer of certain fruits or vegetables
“potatoes roasted in their skins”
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Skin (noun)
the thin outer covering of a sausage
“if you are using link-sausages, prick the skins well with a fork”
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Skin (noun)
a thin layer forming on the surface of certain hot liquids, such as milk, as they cool
“Victoria was skimming the skin off the saucepan of milk”
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Skin (noun)
a cigarette paper
“I passed her a plastic bag with skins and hash inside”
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Skin (noun)
the outermost layer of a structure such as a building or aircraft.
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Skin (noun)
a strip of sealskin or other material attached to the underside of a ski to prevent a skier slipping backwards during climbing.
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Skin (noun)
a customized graphic user interface for an application or operating system.
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Skin (noun)
a skinhead
“we were surrounded by skins with tattoos and braces”
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Skin (noun)
(especially in jazz) a drum or drum head.
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Skin (noun)
relating to or denoting pornographic literature or films
“the skin trade”
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Skin (noun)
a card game in which each player has one card which they bet will not be the first to be matched by a card dealt from the pack.
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Skin (noun)
a unit into which an Aboriginal people is divided, typically on the basis of descent, each skin being associated with a totemic bird, animal, or insect.
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Skin (verb)
remove the skin from (an animal or a fruit or vegetable)
“scald and skin the tomatoes”
“she skinned the pig and salted the carcass”
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Skin (verb)
graze (a part of one’s body)
“he scrambled down from the tree with such haste that he skinned his knees”
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Skin (verb)
take money from or swindle (someone)
“I ain’t no dummy, and I know when I’m being skinned”
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Skin (verb)
(of a wound) form new skin
“the hole in his skull skinned over”
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Skin (verb)
cover with skin
“the wound was skinned, but the strength of his thigh was not restored”
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Skin (verb)
(of a player) take the ball past (a defender) with ease
“Kanchelskis would have skinned him”
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Skin (verb)
make a cannabis cigarette
“we had a few beers and then we skinned up”