peel1
¦ verb
1. remove the outer covering or skin from (a fruit, vegetable, etc.).
2. (of a surface) lose parts of its outer layer or covering in small strips or pieces.
come off in strips or small pieces.
3. (peel something away/off) remove a thin outer covering.
(peel something off) remove an article of clothing.
4. (peel off) leave a group by veering away.
(peel out) N. Amer. informal leave quickly.
¦ noun
1. the outer covering or rind of a fruit or vegetable.
2. an act of exfoliating dead skin in the cosmetic treatment of microdermabrasion.
Derivatives
peelable adjective
peelings plural noun
Origin
ME (in the sense 'to plunder'): var. of dialect pill, from L. pilare 'to strip hair from', from pilus 'hair'.
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peel2
¦ noun archaic a shovel, especially a baker's shovel for carrying loaves into or out of an oven.
Origin
ME: from OFr. pele, from L. pala, from the base of pangere 'to fix'.
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peel3
(also pele or peel tower)
¦ noun a small square defensive tower of a kind built in the 16th century in the border counties of England and Scotland.
Origin
prob. short for synonymous peel-house: peel from Anglo-Norman Fr. pel 'stake, palisade'.
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peel4
¦ verb Croquet send (another player's ball) through a hoop.
Origin
C19: from the name of Walter H. Peel, founder of the All England Croquet Association.