flay
[fley]
- to strip off the skin or outer covering of.
- to criticize or scold with scathing severity.
- to deprive or strip of money or property.
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Origin of flay
before 900; Middle English flen, Old English flēan; cognate with Middle Dutch vlaen, Old Norse flā
Synonyms
See more synonyms for flay on Thesaurus.com2. castigate, excoriate, upbraid, chew out.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for flayer
Historical Examples
He is a treacherous dog and may the flayer get all such treacherous dogs!
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I (of 3)Alexander Wheelock Thayer
He could imagine the thousands watching grimly while the flayer used his knife.
King--of the Khyber RiflesTalbot Mundy
"By John the Flayer's pony," said Pete; and he laughed and made light of his night-long walk.
The ManxmanHall Caine
flay
- to strip off the skin or outer covering of, esp by whipping; skin
- to attack with savage criticism
- to strip of money or goods, esp by cheating or extortion
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Word Origin
Old English flēan; related to Old Norse flā to peel, Lithuanian pl e šti to tear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for flayer
flay
v.
Old English flean "to skin" (strong verb, past tense flog, past participle flagen), from Proto-Germanic *flakhanan (cf. Middle Dutch vlaen, Old High German flahan, Old Norse fla), from PIE root *plak- (2) "to hit" (cf. Greek plessein "to strike," Lithuanian plešiu "to tear;" see plague (n.)). Related: Flayed; flaying.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper