Transdermal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning the delivery of drugs that pass through the skin
2. Associated with methods that allow substances to enter the body via the dermal layer
3. Pertaining to the process by which substances are introduced across the skin barrier for therapeutic effect

Etymology: "Transdermal" is a plain technical compound, built from the Latin prefix "trans-", meaning "across" or "through", and "dermal", which comes from the Greek "derma", meaning "skin". "Dermal" itself is the English adjective from "derma" plus the Latin suffix "-alis", giving the sense "of the skin". Put together, the word describes anything passing across the skin. The prefix carries the idea of crossing a boundary, the same movement found in "transatlantic" or "transfer". Here the boundary is the outer layer of skin, and the term is used mainly in medicine and pharmacology for drug delivery systems such as patches that release a drug through the skin into the bloodstream. The word is a modern coinage from existing parts rather than an ancient term.

Synonyms: percutaneous, dermal