Peel

Pronunciation

• IPA: /piːl/
• Rhymes: -iːl
• Homophones: peal

Old French pel ("skin") (Modern French peau), from Latin pellis ("skin").

Full definition of peel

Verb

1. (transitive) To remove the skin or outer covering of.I sat by my sister's bed, peeling oranges for her.
• ShakespeareThe skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands.
2. (transitive) To remove from the outer or top layer of.I peeled (the skin from) an orange and ate it hungrily.We peeled the old wallpaper off in strips where it was hanging loose.
3. (intransitive) To become detached, come away, especially in flakes or strips; to shed skin in such a way.I had been out in the sun too long, and my nose was starting to peel.
4. (intransitive) To remove one's clothing.The children peeled by the side of the lake and jumped in.
5. (intransitive) To move, separate (off or away)The scrum-half peeled off and made for the touchlines.

Synonyms

• (remove outer covering) skin, strip
• (remove clothing) disrobe, strip

Derived terms

• peel off
• peel out
• keep one's eyes peeled (i.e. with eyelids open)
• peeler

Noun

1. (usually uncountable) The skin or outer layer of a fruit, vegetable, etc.
2. (countable, rugby) The action of peeling away from a formation.
3. (countable) cosmetic preparation designed to remove dead skin or exfoliate.

Synonyms

• (skin of a fruit) rind, zest

Derived terms

• orange peel
• peel strength

Anglo-Norman and Old French pel (compare modern French pieu), from Latin palus ("stake").

Noun

1. (obsolete) A stake.
2. (obsolete) A fence made of stakes; a stockade.
3. (archaic) A small tower, fort, or castle; a keep.

Derived terms

• peel-house, peelhouse
• peel-tower

From Old French pele (compare modern pelle), from Latin pala, from the base of plangere ("fix, plant").

Noun

1. A shovel or similar instrument, now especially a pole with a flat disc at the end used for removing loaves of bread from a baker's oven.
2. A T-shaped implement used by printers and bookbinders for hanging wet sheets of paper on lines or poles to dry.
3. (archaic, US) The blade of an oar.

Origin unknown.

Noun

1. (Scotland and curling) An equal or match; a draw.
2. (curling) A takeout which removes a stone from play as well as the delivered stone.

Named from Walter H. Peel, a noted 19th-century croquet player.

Verb

1. (croquet) To send through a hoop (of a ball other than one's own).

Misspelling of peal.

Verb

1. Misspelling of peal: to sound loudly.
• 1825 June 25, "My Village Bells", in The Circulator of Useful Knowledge, Literature, Amusement, and General Information number XXVI, available in, 1825, The Circulator of Useful Amusement, Literature, Science, and General Information, page 401,Oh ! still for me let merry bells peel out their holy chime;
• 1901 January 1, "Twentieth Century's Triumphant Entry", The New York Times, page 1,The lights flashed, the crowds sang,... bells peeled, bombs thundered,... and the new Century made its triumphant entry.
• 2006, Miles Richardson, Being-In-Christ and Putting Death in Its Place, Louisiana State University Press, ISBN 0807132047, pages 230–231,As the tiny Virgin... approaches one of the barrio churches, bells peel vigorously, a brass band launches into a fast-paced tune, and large rockets zoom... .

Old French piller ("pillage").

Verb

1. (archaic, transitive) To plunder; to pillage, rob.
• MiltonBut govern ill the nations under yoke,
  Peeling their provinces.