pelt

[ pelt ]

/ pɛlt /

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See synonyms for: pelt / pelted / pelting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to attack or assail with repeated blows or with missiles.

to throw (missiles).

to drive by blows or missiles: The child pelted the cows home from the fields.

to assail vigorously with words, questions, etc.

to beat or rush against with repeated forceful blows: The wind and rain pelted the roofs and walls of the houses for four days.

verb (used without object)

to strike blows; beat with force or violence.

to throw missiles.

to hurry.

to beat or pound unrelentingly: The wind, rain, and snow pelted against the castle walls.

to cast abuse.

noun

the act of pelting.

a vigorous stroke; whack.

a blow with something thrown.

speed: running at full pelt.

an unrelenting or repeated beating, as of rain or wind.

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Origin of pelt

First recorded in 1490–1500; Middle English pilten, pelten; further origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM pelt

un·pelt·ed, adjective

Words nearby pelt

pelorize, pelorus, pelota, Pelotas, peloton, pelt, peltast, peltate, pelter, Peltier effect, Peltier element

Other definitions for pelt (2 of 2)

pelt²

[ pelt ]

/ pɛlt /

noun

the untanned hide or skin of an animal.

Facetious. the human skin.

Origin of pelt

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; perhaps back formation from peltry; compare Old French pelete, derivative of Latin pellis “skin”

synonym study for pelt

1. See skin.

OTHER WORDS FROM pelt

peltish, adjectivepeltless, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pelt in a sentence

Wisconsin is the country’s top producer of mink pelts, yielding 38 percent of the United States’ total.
Mink farmers are skipping to the front of the vaccine line — for an important reason|Dan Simmons|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
Others are draped in wool scarves and nice blankets, presenting a far more conventional and even upper-class vibe than the viral images of young men costumed with animal horns and pelts.
Inside the Capitol Riot: What the Parler Videos Reveal|by Alec MacGillis|January 17, 2021|ProPublica
Aaron Mostofsky, who was photographed wearing multiple fur pelts and a vest that said “police” on it, and carrying a police riot shield as well as a large stick, was hard to miss.
The Capitol rioters put themselves all over social media. Now they’re getting arrested.|Sara Morrison|January 12, 2021|Vox
The reverse — cats and dogs infecting us — does not appear to occur, though it does happen in mink, which are often farmed for their pelts and thus interact with humans.
The Coming Petdemic|Tracy Moran|December 22, 2020|Ozy

Lately, they’ve delivered plenty of pelts from publicly traded Goliaths, powered by meticulously reported jeremiads whose details rocket across social media and the business press.
Little Big Shorts: How tiny ‘activist’ firms became sheriffs in the stock market’s Wild West|Bernhard Warner|December 3, 2020|Fortune
It was the first time that a Chinese public official acknowledged the existence of the tiger pelt trade within the country.
China Is Brewing Wine From Tiger Bones|Brendon Hong|July 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a way, the print emphasizes the pelt-like nature of all images, as they flatten out the world and hand it over to us.
Live Bear Is World's Biggest Paintbrush|Blake Gopnik|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I recently saw this pelt-of-a-print by Swiss artist Michael Günzburger at Winkleman Gallery in Chelsea.
Live Bear Is World's Biggest Paintbrush|Blake Gopnik|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Every sort of pelt, skin, or plumage was part of this collection.
Milan Fashion Week’s Big Finale: Versace and Dolce & Gabbana Wow, While Armani Falls Short|Robin Givhan|February 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I was to Spoutin' Springs, twenty mile west, with a bale o' blue fox an' otter pelt.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers
Wishing to have a bell to hang in the tower of this chapel, each convert brought a pelt, and the bell was ordered from France.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies|H. A. (Hlne Adeline) Guerber
He had gone to Double Up Cove for the silver fox pelt, and he had it.
Left on the Labrador|Dillon Wallace
And sometimes they would even pelt the old horse Ebenezer, who stood in the stall next to Twinkleheels.
The Tale of Pony Twinkleheels|Arthur Scott Bailey
Why should a hairy pelt and a relatively low intelligence make a chimp non-human?
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for pelt (1 of 2)

pelt¹

/ (pɛlt) /

verb

(tr) to throw (missiles) at (a person)

(tr) to hurl (insults) at (a person)

(intr; foll by along, over, etc) to move rapidly; hurry

(intr often foll by down) to rain heavily

noun

a blow

speed (esp in the phrase at full pelt)

Derived forms of pelt

pelter, noun

Word Origin for pelt

C15: of uncertain origin, perhaps from pellet

British Dictionary definitions for pelt (2 of 2)

pelt²

/ (pɛlt) /

noun

the skin of a fur-bearing animal, such as a mink, esp when it has been removed from the carcass

the hide of an animal, stripped of hair and ready for tanning

Word Origin for pelt

C15: perhaps back formation from peltry

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

pelt

Origin of pelt

OTHER WORDS FROM pelt

Words nearby pelt

Other definitions for pelt (2 of 2)

Origin of pelt

synonym study for pelt

OTHER WORDS FROM pelt

Words related to pelt

How to use pelt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pelt (1 of 2)

Derived forms of pelt

Word Origin for pelt

British Dictionary definitions for pelt (2 of 2)

Word Origin for pelt