peeling

[pee-ling]

See more synonyms for peeling on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of a person or thing that peels.
that which is peeled from something, as a piece of the skin or rind of a fruit.

Origin of peeling

First recorded in 1555–65; peel¹ + -ing¹

Related formsun·peel·ing, adjective

peel¹

[peel]

verb (used with object)

to strip (something) of its skin, rind, bark, etc.: to peel an orange.
to strip (the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.) from something: to peel paint from a car.
Croquet. to cause (another player's ball) to go through a wicket.

verb (used without object)

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

noun

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

Verb Phrases

peel off,
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.

Idioms

keep one's eyes peeled, Informal. to watch closely or carefully; be alert: Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station.

Origin of peel¹

before 1100; Middle English pelen, Old English pilian to strip, skin < Latin pilāre to remove hair, derivative of pilus hair. See pill²

Related formspeel·a·ble, adjectiveun·peel·a·ble, adjectiveun·peeled, adjective

Can be confusedpeal peel

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for peeling

Contemporary Examples

Only the peeling paint and the crumbling walls hinted that, for these students, a different reality lay outside.
The Only Ballerinas In All Of Abkhazia
Anna Nemtsova
December 7, 2013
Everybody knows it, that feeling of entering a park: peeling off the city streets and into that nourishing sense of calm.
In Praise of Parks
Isabel Wilkinson
October 27, 2013
The journalist is focused on peeling away the layers and getting at the damaging truth.
How a Freelance Journalist Unraveled Jonah Lehrer’s Lies
Howard Kurtz
August 1, 2012
Paint is peeling from the upper decks and each day new debris falls into the water.
Costa Concordia Mess Widens With Salvage Team, Criminal Probe
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 24, 2012
He was very interested in the internal workings and peeling back the layers.
Bill Condon and Melissa Rosenberg on 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn'
Marlow Stern
November 21, 2011

Historical Examples

Some of their necks and cheeks were peeling, as if from sunburn.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
The thing were done as clean as peeling an apple, and as quiet.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
The degree of this peeling also varies as well as its duration.
The Mother's Manual of Children's Diseases
Charles West, M.D.
A good sharp knife will be required for peeling the skin from the neck.
Taxidermy
Leon Luther Pray
His upturned face was swollen, red, peeling all over the nose and cheeks.
Victory
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for peeling

peeling

noun

a strip of skin, rind, bark, etc, that has been peeled offa potato peeling

peel¹

verb

(tr) to remove (the skin, rind, outer covering, etc) of (a fruit, egg, etc)
(intr) (of paint, etc) to be removed from a surface, esp through weathering
(intr) (of a surface) to lose its outer covering of paint, etc esp through weathering
(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
croquet to put (another player's ball) through a hoop or hoops
keep one's eyes peeled or keep one's eyes skinned to watch vigilantly

noun

the skin or rind of a fruit, etc

Word Origin

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

peel²

noun

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

Word Origin

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

peel³

noun

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

Word Origin

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

Peel

noun

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)
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

Derived FormsPeelite, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for peeling

peel

v.

"to strip off," developed from Old English pilian "to peel, skin, decorticate, strip the skin or ring," and Old French pillier, both from Latin pilare "to strip of hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Probably also influenced by Latin pellis "skin, hide." Related: Peeled; peeling. Figurative expression keep (one's) eyes peeled be observant, be on the alert" is from 1853, American English.

peel

n.2

"shovel-shaped instrument" used by bakers, etc., c.1400, from Old French pele (Modern French pelle) "shovel," from Latin pala "spade, shovel, baker's peel," of unknown origin.

peel

n.1

piece of rind or skin, 1580s, from earlier pill, pile (late 14c.), from peel (v.)).

Idioms and Phrases with peeling

peel

In addition to the idiom beginning with peel

peel off

also see:

keep one's eyes open (peeled)

peeling

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}peeling

peel.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of peel1

Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for peeling

Contemporary Examples

Only the peeling paint and the crumbling walls hinted that, for these students, a different reality lay outside.

Everybody knows it, that feeling of entering a park: peeling off the city streets and into that nourishing sense of calm.

The journalist is focused on peeling away the layers and getting at the damaging truth.

Paint is peeling from the upper decks and each day new debris falls into the water.

He was very interested in the internal workings and peeling back the layers.

Historical Examples

Some of their necks and cheeks were peeling, as if from sunburn.

The thing were done as clean as peeling an apple, and as quiet.

The degree of this peeling also varies as well as its duration.

A good sharp knife will be required for peeling the skin from the neck.

His upturned face was swollen, red, peeling all over the nose and cheeks.

peeling

peel1

Word Origin

peel2

Word Origin

peel3

Word Origin

Peel

Word Origin and History for peeling

peel

v.

peel

n.2

peel

n.1

Idioms and Phrases with peeling

peel

Origin of peeling

peel¹

Origin of peel¹

peel¹

peel²

peel³