"pertaining to the skin; consisting of skin," 1803; see derm + -al (1). A native formation; the Greek adjective was dermatikos, yielding dermatic (1847).
Entries linking to dermal
derm n.
"the skin, the true skin, the derma," 1835, from Greek derma "skin, hide, leather," from PIE root *der- "to split, flay, peel," with derivatives referring to skin and leather.
-al 1
suffix forming adjectives from nouns or other adjectives, "of, like, related to, pertaining to," Middle English -al, -el, from French or directly from Latin -alis (see -al (2)).
*der-
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to split, flay, peel," with derivatives referring to skin and leather.
It forms all or part of: derm; -derm; derma; dermal; dermato-; dermatology; echinoderm; epidermis; hypodermic; pachyderm; scleroderma; taxidermy; tart (adj.) "having a sharp taste;" tear (v.1) "pull apart;" tetter; turd.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit drnati "cleaves, bursts;" Greek derein "to flay;" Armenian terem "I flay;" Old Church Slavonic dera "to burst asunder;" Breton darn "piece;" Old English teran "to tear, lacerate."