Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - squamous

 adjective  Etymology: Middle English, from Latin squamosus, from squama scale  Date: 15th century  1.  a. covered with or consisting of scales ; scaly  b. of, relating to, or being a stratified epithelium that consists at least in its outer layers of small scalelike cells  2. of, relating to, or being the anterior upper portion of the temporal bone of most mammals including humans