ex|co´ri|at´ing|ly

ex|co|ri|ate «ehk SKR ee ayt, -SKOHR-», transitive verb, -at|ed, -at|ing.

1. to strip or rub off the skin of; make raw and sore; abrade; chafe: »

The corpse…was much bruised and excoriated (Edgar Allan Poe).

SYNONYM(S): gall.

2. Figurative. to denounce violently; censure: »

In a sarcastic speech the candidate excoriated his opponent. It is more likely to strike a reader as being like a hell-fire sermon—excoriating sin, not sinners (James Boylan).

╂[< Late Latin excoriāre (with English -ate¹) < ex- off + corium hide, skin]

–ex|co´ri|at´ing|ly, adverb.