Peel

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /piːl/

Definitions

1. To remove the skin or outer layer of an object, often related to fruits or vegetables, as well as to expose layers underneath while discarding the outermost part
2. To strip away the external covering or bark from something, such as a fruit, vegetable, or tree, revealing the inner substance
3. To come off or shed an outer layer naturally or as a result of damage, often referring to skin, paint, or similar surfaces

Etymology: Peel has at least three unrelated histories that happen to share one spelling. The verb meaning "remove the outer layer" comes from Middle English "pelen," which descends from Old English "pilian" and Old French "peler," both ultimately from Latin "pilare," "to remove hair from," itself built on "pilus," "hair." So the peeling of a fruit and the depilating of a body are, etymologically, the same act. "Pill" is a doublet of this word, having taken a separate route into English. The noun meaning a fruit's skin is part of this same family, but the broader "peel" that means a long-handled shovel or a baker's paddle has a different source. It arrives from Old French "pele" (modern "pelle," "shovel"), from Latin "pala," a spade, which is also the source of "pala" and related to "pole" and "pale" through a common base in the Latin verb "plango," "to plant or fix." The baker's peel and the tapered wooden stake are thus cousins, not a single object carried through time.

Synonyms: strip, remove, skin, shave, pare

Antonyms: add, attach, cover, enclose, protect