The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Excoriate \Ex*co"ri*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excoriated; p.
   pr. & vb. n. excoriating.] [L. excoriare; ex out + corium
   hide. cf. Scourge; see Cuirass.]
   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.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

excoriate
    v 1: express strong disapproval of; "We condemn the racism in
         South Africa"; "These ideas were reprobated" [syn:
         condemn, reprobate, decry, objurgate, excoriate]
    2: tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading; "This
       leash chafes the dog's neck" [syn: chafe, excoriate]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

26 Moby Thesaurus words for "excoriate":
   abrade, assail, attack, bark, blister, castigate, decorticate,
   flay, fret, fustigate, gall, lash, pare, peel, roast, rub, scalp,
   scarify, scathe, scorch, scourge, skin, skin alive, slash, strip,
   trounce