Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - exfoliate

 verb  (-ated; -ating)  Etymology: Late Latin exfoliatus, past participle of exfoliare to strip of leaves, from Latin ex- + folium leaf — more at blade  Date: 1612  transitive verb  1. to cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters  2. to remove the surface of in scales or laminae  3. to spread or extend by or as if by opening out leaves  intransitive verb  1. to split into or give off scales, laminae, or body cells  2. to come off in thin layers or scales  3. to grow by or as if by producing or unfolding leaves  • exfoliation noun  • exfoliative adjective