Greek 'derma' (skin), from 'derein' (to flay) — literally 'the study of what can be torn off.' See also: taxidermy.
The branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders.
From Greek 'derma' (δέρμα, skin, hide — literally the peeled or flayed layer), genitive 'dermatos' (δέρματος) + '-logia' (the study of, from 'logos,' word, reason, account), from 'derein' (δέρειν, to flay, to skin, to peel), from PIE *der- (to tear, to split, to peel, to flay). PIE *der- generated a wide field: Greek 'derma' (skin), 'dermis,' 'epidermis' (the outer skin layer), 'hypodermic' (under the skin), 'taxidermy' (arrangement of a skin — stuffed animals), Old English 'tēran' (to tear), German 'zerren' (to pull apart), Sanskrit 'dārati' (he tears, he splits), and possibly 'turd' (that which is torn off, expelled). The root also connects to 'tree' and 'tar' (pitch extracted from torn wood
'Dermatology,' 'taxidermy,' 'pachyderm,' and 'epidermis' all come from Greek 'derma' (skin). Dermatology studies skin. Taxidermy is 'arranging skin' (stuffing animal hides). A pachyderm is a 'thick-skin' (elephant). The epidermis is the 'upon-skin' (outer layer). And PIE *der- (to tear) means