Pelted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Hurled objects repeatedly and with force ; fell densely or heavily, as in rain or hail
2. Struck by a rapid succession of thrown items ; descended in large amounts, often describing precipitation
3. Attacked by a continuous shower of projectiles ; came down with great intensity, like heavy rainfall

Etymology: The verb "pelt" has two separate origins that happen to have merged. One goes back to the animal skin: the noun for a hide, especially a sheep's skin, came into Middle English from a word traced to Latin "pellis," meaning hide or leather. From that sense comes the image of a pelt as a coat of fur, as in a mink's pelt. The other origin is more violent. The verb probably descends from Latin "pultare," meaning to beat or knock, and it was closely linked to Latin "pellere," to drive or hurl. Its earliest meaning was to strike or push, and the sense of hurling things at someone grew out of that. The two strands became confused over the centuries, and the verb is often thought to come from the animal skin, but its real ancestry runs through the idea of beating. The rain sense is a later extension: to pelt with rain is to beat down on something with repeated blows, which is why the same word covers both a volley of stones and a heavy downpour.

Synonyms: bombarded, showered, battered, attacked, assaulted

Antonyms: protected, shielded, defended, guarded, sheltered