dermal

IPA/ˈdɜː.məl/
KK[dˈɚməl]IPA/ˈdɝː.məl/

dermal — adjective

  • dermalpositive
  • more dermalcomparative
  • most dermalsuperlative

1. involving the skin, whether as part of the body's outer surface or as a way of d

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

involving the skin, whether as part of the body's outer surface or as a way of delivering medicine into the body.

Example

Tariq applied a dermal patch to his arm each morning to stop his allergy symptoms.

dermal + patch (medication delivery through skin)

The surgeon checked every dermal layer after repairing the burn on the child's leg.

dermal + layer (anatomical usage)

Common collocations
  • dermal patch
  • dermal layer
  • dermal tissue
  • dermal filler
  • dermal cream
  • dermal exposure
  • dermal graft
  • dermal reaction
Synonyms
  • cutaneous

    more formal and mainly used in specialist medical writing; 'dermal' is slightly broader in everyday clinical use

  • skin

    everyday noun used attributively (e.g. skin cream, skin layer); not a true adjective, but often replaces 'dermal' in casual speech

Grammar Patterns

dermal + noun

Usage Note

Attributive only — 'dermal' is placed before the noun it describes (e.g. dermal patch, dermal layer). It is not used after linking verbs such as 'be' or 'seem'.

Common Mistakes

The reaction is dermal.
The patient had a dermal reaction.
'dermal' is attributive only and cannot follow a linking verb like 'be'.
Apply this dermal to the rash.
Apply this dermal cream to the rash.
'dermal' is an adjective, not a noun; it must modify a noun such as 'cream', 'patch', or 'filler'.

Word family

  • dermis
    nounC1
  • dermatology
    nounC1
  • dermatologist
    nounB2
  • dermatitis
    nounC1
  • transdermal
    adjectiveC1
  • intradermal
    adjectiveC1
  • hypodermic
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Dermal', 'cutaneous', and 'skin' all describe something related to the outer covering of the body, but they differ in register and grammar. 'Dermal' is the most common technical adjective in clinical settings — you will see it on product labels (dermal patch, dermal filler) and in patient records. 'Cutaneous' is almost exclusively used in formal medical writing and textbooks (cutaneous infection, cutaneous nerve); it sounds out of place in everyday conversation. 'Skin' is the ordinary noun, but it often functions attributively before another noun (skin care, skin graft), which makes it the everyday replacement for both 'dermal' and 'cutaneous'. For a learner, the safest general choice is 'dermal' in writing and 'skin' in speech; reserve 'cutaneous' for medical reports.

dermal ↗cutaneous ↗skin ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

From Greek 'derma' (δέρμα), meaning 'skin', combined with the Latin-derived adjective suffix '-al'. The word entered English through medical Latin in the 19th century, first used in anatomy texts to describe the skin layers and later extended to treatments applied to or through the skin.

First known use

1803

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1