Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - decortication

 noun  Etymology: Latin ~-, decorticatio, from decorticare to remove the bark from, from de- + cortic-, cortex bark — more at cuirass  Date: circa 1623  1. the act or process of removing the outer coverings (as bark or husks) from something (as fiber or seed)  2. the surgical removal of the outer layer or covering of an organ or structure (as the brain or a kidney)  • decorticate transitive verb  • decorticator noun