Excoriate
Etymology
From Late Latin excoriare, "to strip off the hide," from ex- ("off") plus corium, "skin, hide." The literal sense — to flay — survives in medicine, where excoriated skin is skin rubbed raw. Used of speech, it keeps every bit of that violence: a critic who excoriates leaves the target skinned.
verb · /ik-SKOR-ee-ayt/
To criticize someone or something very harshly.
What it names
The word for verbal flaying — a rebuke so severe it feels like stripping the skin off its target.
Example
The judge excoriated the firm for concealing evidence, calling the conduct a betrayal of the court.
Related idea
Lambaste is a good near-match but slightly more colloquial; excoriate carries a colder, more formal savagery.
verb · /ik-SKOR-ee-ayt/
To strip, scrape, or wear away the skin of a person or animal.
What it names
Physical damage in which the surface layer of skin is abraded or removed, as by chafing or a harsh substance.
Example
The rough rope excoriated his palms within the hour.
Related idea
The figurative sense — to criticize savagely — is this literal one carried into speech: harsh words flay their target. It comes from the Latin excoriare, "to strip off the hide."