peel

peel · verb, noun¹

1. Latin · derived frompilō, pilāre“to remove hair from, depilate”
2. Old French · derived frompeler
3. Old English · inherited frompilian
4. Middle English · inherited frompelen
5. English todaypeel

From Middle English pelen, from Old English pilian and Old French peler, pellier; both from Latin pilō, pilāre (“to remove hair from, depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pill.

peel · noun²

1. Latin · derived frompālus“stake”
2. Anglo-Norman · derived frompel
3. Middle English · inherited frompeel
4. English todaypeel

From Middle English peel, pele, from Anglo-Norman pel (compare modern French pieu), from Latin pālus (“stake”). Doublet of pole and pale.

peel · noun³

1. Latin · derived frompāla
2. Old French · derived frompele
3. Middle English · inherited frompele
4. English todaypeel

From Middle English pele, from Old French pele (modern French pelle), from Latin pāla, from the base of plangō (“fix, plant”). Doublet of pala.

peel · noun, verb⁴

Unknown.

peel · verb⁵

Named from Walter H. Peel, a noted 19th-century croquet player.

peel · verb⁶

1. Old French · derived frompiller“pillage”
2. English todaypeel

From Old French piller (“pillage”).

Words from the same roots