What does xerodermia mean?
Xerodermia is a medical noun for abnormal dryness of the skin. It describes skin that lacks sufficient moisture, often appearing rough, flaky, tight, or cracked, and may accompany conditions or environmental exposures that disrupt the skin barrier. The term is specialized rather than everyday, so a speaker would normally use “dry skin” in general conversation and reserve “xerodermia” for medical documentation or discussion of a clinically notable problem. It overlaps closely with the medical term “xerosis,” which also denotes dryness of the skin, but xerodermia more specifically emphasizes an abnormal or excessive condition. Knowing the word can also prevent confusion with xerostomia, a familiar medical term for dryness of the mouth. The transparent Greek-derived construction of xerodermia—literally “dry skin”—makes it unusually easy to interpret once its components are known.
nounAbnormal or excessive dryness of the skin.
- Abnormal or excessive dryness of the skin.
"Severe xerodermia left the patient's skin rough and painfully tight."
"Severe xerodermia can make the skin appear rough, flaky, and painful."
"The clinician documented xerodermia associated with prolonged exposure to the dry environment."
The plural is rarely needed because the condition is normally discussed in the singular.
"The report describes severe xerodermias associated with several underlying skin disorders."
The name is nearly transparent: Greek xēros, “dry,” plus dérma, “skin.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of xerodermia
Xerodermia was formed in New Latin from Greek xēros, meaning “dry,” and dérma, meaning “skin,” with the Greek-derived suffix -ia. It developed within medical terminology as a name for dryness of the skin and belongs to a family of English borrowings including xerosis, xeroderma, xerophyte, and xerography, which share the Greek element for “dry.”
How xerodermia is actually used
This is a specialized medical term, usually used in clinical descriptions. In ordinary English, “dry skin” is more natural.
Easily confused with xerodermia
Xerodermia refers to abnormal dryness of the skin, whereas xerostomia is dryness of the mouth.