Definition of: exfoliate

(eks·fō′lē·āt) v.t. & v.i. ·at·ed, ·at·ing
1. To remove scales or splinters (from).
2. To peel or scale off in thin flakes, as the bark of a tree.
3. Geol. To split off in scales or sheets, as a heated mineral or weathered rock. [<LL exfoliatus, pp. of exfoliare <ex-off + folium a leaf]
—ex·fo′li·a′tive adjective