φλοιός

A. bark of trees, esp. smooth bark (such as one can cut one's name on, Theoc. 18.47, Call. Fr. 101), Il. 1.237, Emp. 81, Hdt. 4.67, X. Cyn. 9.18, Thphr. HP 1.5.2, Sor. 1.62; eaten in famine, Plb. 7.1.3, Plu. Ant. 17: pl., Call.l.c., Str. 11.8.7, 15.1.60.

b. husk or skin of certain fruits, Plu. 2.684a, Aët. 12.1.

2. membrane enclosing the eggs of certain animals, Arist. HA 558a28.

3. tissue from which spiders spin their webs, ib.623a32.

4. metaph., of superficial or useless coverings, redundancy, ὁ Λακωνικὸς λόγος οὐκ ἔχει φλοιόν Plu. 2.510f; φωνὴν . . φλοιοῦ μεστήν Crantorap. D.L. 4.27; γυμνὸς τῶν φλοιῶν stripped of all outsides, M.Ant. 12.2, 8; περὶ τὸν φ. ἀσχολεῖσθαι Luc. Herm. 79.