peel Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun British politician (1788-1850)
    Sir Robert Peel; Robert Peel.
  2. noun the rind of a fruit or vegetable
    skin.
  3. verb strip the skin off
    pare; skin.
    • pare apples
  4. verb come off in flakes or thin small pieces
    peel off; flake off; flake.
    • The paint in my house is peeling off
  5. verb get undressed
    uncase; strip down; undress; strip; unclothe; disrobe; discase.
    • please don't undress in front of everybody!
    • She strips in front of strangers every night for a living

WordNet

Peel noun
Etymology
OE. pel. Cf. Pile a heap.
Definitions
  1. A small tower, fort, or castle; a keep. Scot.
Peel noun
Etymology
F. pelle, L. pala.
Definitions
  1. A spadelike implement, variously used, as for removing loaves of bread from a baker's oven; also, a T-shaped implement used by printers and bookbinders for hanging wet sheets of paper on lines or poles to dry. Also, the blade of an oar.
Peel transitive verb
Etymology
Confused with peel to strip, but fr. F. piller to pillage. See Pill to rob, Pillage.
Definitions
  1. To plunder; to pillage; to rob. Obs.
    But govern ill the nations under yoke, Peeling their provinces. Milton.
Peel transitive verb
Etymology
F. peler to pull out the hair, to strip, to peel, fr. L. pilare to deprive of hair, fr. pilus a hair; or perh. partly fr. F. peler to peel off the skin, perh. fr. L. pellis skin (cf. Fell skin). Cf. Peruke.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Peeled ; present participle & verbal noun Peeling
Definitions
  1. To strip off the skin, bark, or rind of; to strip by drawing or tearing off the skin, bark, husks, etc.; to flay; to decorticate; as, to peel an orange.
    The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands. Shak.
  2. To strip or tear off; to remove by stripping, as the skin of an animal, the bark of a tree, etc.
Peel intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To lose the skin, bark, or rind; to come off, as the skin, bark, or rind does; -- often used with an adverb; as, the bark peels easily or readily.
Peel noun
Definitions
  1. The skin or rind; as, the peel of an orange.

Webster 1913