'thin-skinned' originates from the combination of 'thin' and 'skin,' where 'thin' meant 'having little thickness' and 'skin' referred to the outer covering of a body.

'thin-skinned' evolved from the literal sense of having a thin skin to metaphorically describing someone who is easily hurt by criticism.

Initially, it referred to the physical characteristic of having a thin skin, but over time it evolved into its current metaphorical meaning of being sensitive to criticism.