What does delaminated mean?
Delaminated describes something whose layers have separated or come apart after the material or structure holding them together has failed. The term is especially common in engineering, materials science, manufacturing, and conservation when discussing laminated sheets, composites, panels, films, or other layered products. A delaminated composite may look intact from a distance while its internal layers are visibly peeling or splitting. The word usually carries a negative, technical connotation because delamination signals damage or inadequate bonding. It can also be used more broadly for any object or surface that has separated into layers. Delaminated is the adjectival or past-participle form of delaminate, while delamination is the corresponding noun. The word is understood in British and American English and is not restricted to a particular region.
adjectiveHaving separated into layers, especially because the bonding between layers in a laminate, composite, or other layered material has failed. It may also describe a layered structure whose layers have come apart.
- Having separated into layers or lost the bonding between layers, especially in a laminate, composite, panel, or other layered structure.
"The delaminated panels had to be replaced because their layers had begun to peel apart."
"Delamination in the composite caused the outer skin to lift away from the underlying layers."
"The conservator described the delaminated photographs as a group of fragile, separated surfaces."
A delaminated material is not merely scratched on the surface: the layers that were once joined have come apart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does delaminated come from?
The word is formed from the prefix de-, meaning removal or reversal, and laminate, which derives from Latin lamina, meaning a thin layer, plate, or leaf. Delaminate and its forms have developed in technical usage to describe the separation of layers or the failure of a bond between them. Related English words include laminate, lamination, laminar, and lamina, all reflecting the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How delaminated is actually used
This is chiefly a technical or descriptive term, especially common in engineering, materials science, manufacturing, and conservation. In general use, it is more often used as an adjective than as a verb.
Easily confused with delaminated
Laminated describes material made by bonding layers together, whereas delaminated describes material whose layers have separated or lost that bonding.