Peel
/piːl/noun
To remove the outer layer or skin from something; also, the outer skin or rind itself.
Did you know?The word is not mysterious in origin, but its older sense of “skin” shows up in related forms across Germanic languages, where everyday words often preserve ancient body-and-surface imagery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“to strike, skin, or peel away”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*pōl- / *pil-
“a skin or husk; to strip off”
Old English
OE
pilian
“to peel or strip off the skin”
Middle English
ME
pelen
“to remove the skin or outer covering”
Modern English
English
peel
“to remove the outer layer from something”