To strip or wear off the skin of; to abrade; to gall; to break and remove the cuticle of, in any manner, as by rubbing, beating, or by the action of acrid substances
To excoriate a person or organization means to criticize them severely, usually in public. He proceeded to excoriate me in front of the nurses. = berate. to express a very bad opinion of a book, play etc (past participle of excoriare, from corium )