"Your epidermis is showing!" you might have heard someone shout at you, trying to make you nervous. But unless you're covered head-to-toe in a burka, chances are it's inevitable, since epidermis is just a fancy word for skin.
The word epidermis comes from the Greek roots epi meaning "upon" and derma, which means "skin," a pretty apt translation, since epidermis is the outer layer of cell on the surface of an organism, in short — "the skin." Our epidermis is our main protection from the dangers of the outside world. It's thinnest on the eyelids and thickest on the palms of our hands.
