peel

¹

[ peel ]

verb (used with object)

1. to strip (something) of its skin, rind, bark, etc.:

   to peel an orange.

2. to strip (the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.) from something:

   to peel paint from a car.

3. Croquet. to cause (another player's ball) to go through a wicket.

verb (used without object)

1. (of skin, bark, paint, etc.) to come off; become separated.
2. to lose the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.
3. Informal. to undress.
4. Metallurgy. (of a malleable iron casting) to lose, or tend to lose, the outer layer.

noun

1. the skin or rind of a fruit, vegetable, etc.
2. Metallurgy. the presence of a brittle outer layer on a malleable iron casting.

verb phrase

1. 1. to remove (the skin, bark, etc.) or be removed:

      The old skin peeled off.

   2. Aeronautics. to leave a flying formation of aircraft with a banking turn, usually from one end of an echelon.
   3. Informal. to turn off or leave (a road):

      We peeled off the highway onto a dirt road.

   4. to remove (clothing) in a swift upward or downward motion.

peel

²

[ peel ]

noun

1. a shovellike implement for putting bread, pies, etc., into the oven or taking them out.
2. Metallurgy. a long, shovellike iron tool for charging an open-hearth furnace.

peel

³

or pele

[ peel ]

noun

1. a small fortified tower for residence or for use during an attack, common in the border counties of England and Scotland in the 16th century.

Peel

⁴

[ peel ]

noun

1. Sir Robert, 1788–1850, British political leader: founder of the London constabulary; prime minister 1834–35; 1841–46.
2. a seaport on W Isle of Man: castle; resort.
3. a river in N Yukon Territory and NW Northwest Territories, Canada, flowing E and N to the Mackenzie River. 425 miles (684 km) long.

peel

¹

/ piːl /

noun

1. (in Britain) a fortified tower of the 16th century on the borders between England and Scotland, built to withstand raids

peel

²

/ piːl /

noun

1. a long-handled shovel used by bakers for moving bread, in an oven

Peel

³

/ piːl /

noun

1. PeelJohn19392004MBritishFILMS AND TV: broadcaster John, real name John Robert Parker Ravenscroft . 1939–2004, British broadcaster; presented his influential Radio 1 music programme (1967–2004) and Radio 4's Home Truths (1998–2004)
2. PeelSir Robert17881850MBritishPOLITICS: statesmanPOLITICS: prime minister Sir Robert. 1788–1850, British statesman; Conservative prime minister (1834–35; 1841–46). As Home Secretary (1828–30) he founded the Metropolitan Police and in his second ministry carried through a series of free-trade budgets culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), which split the Tory party

peel

⁴

/ piːl /

verb

1. tr to remove (the skin, rind, outer covering, etc) of (a fruit, egg, etc)
2. intr (of paint, etc) to be removed from a surface, esp through weathering
3. intr (of a surface) to lose its outer covering of paint, etc esp through weathering
4. intr (of a person or part of the body) to shed skin in flakes or (of skin) to be shed in flakes, esp as a result of sunburn
5. croquet to put (another player's ball) through a hoop or hoops
6. keep one's eyes peeled or keep one's eyes skinned
   to watch vigilantly

noun

1. the skin or rind of a fruit, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈPeelite, noun

Other Words From

• peela·ble adjective
• un·peela·ble adjective
• un·peeled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of peel¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English pilen, pillen, pilien “to strip off, remove,” Old English pilian “to strip, skin” (unrecorded), or Old French pillier, peler, from Latin pilāre “to remove hair, pluck, scalp,” derivative of pilus “hair”; pill ²

Origin of peel²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pele, pale, pile “baker's shovel,” from Old French pele, pale, from Latin pāla “long-handled spade, shoulder blade”; palette

Origin of peel³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pel, pele, peil “defensive palisade, fortress,” from Anglo-French pel, pele “stockade” and Middle French pel “stake,” from Latin pālus “stake, post”; pale ², pole ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of peel¹

C14 (fence made of stakes): from Old French piel stake, from Latin pālus; see pale ², paling

Origin of peel²

C14 pele, from Old French, from Latin pāla spade, from pangere to drive in; see palette

Origin of peel³

Old English pilian to strip off the outer layer, from Latin pilāre to make bald, from pilus a hair

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. keep one's eyes peeled, Informal. to watch closely or carefully; be alert:

   Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station.

More idioms and phrases containing peel

In addition to the idiom beginning with peel , also see keep one's eyes open (peeled) .

Synonym Study

Peel, pare agree in meaning to remove the skin or rind from something. Peel means to pull or strip off the natural external covering or protection of something: to peel an orange, a potato. Pare is used of trimming off chips, flakes, or superficial parts from something, as well as of cutting off the skin or rind: to pare the nails; to pare a potato.

Example Sentences

Released on Tuesday, Nov. 19, "Cher: The Memoir, Part 1" peels the layers back on one of entertainment's most fascinating talents.

From Salon

Acevedo peeled off some of the skin and took a big bite.

From Los Angeles Times

As layers are peeled back, a more complex picture comes into focus.

From New York Times

It’s up to us to hold up the mirror, to start thawing those stone hearts with stories that peel away the layers of fear and hate.

From Salon

As she sings of her foil, in my favorite line of the song, “She peels me back like I’m her cabbage.”

From New York Times