PEELING

desquamation, peeling, shedding

(noun) loss of bits of outer skin by peeling or shedding or coming off in scales

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Noun

peeling (plural peelings)

The act of removing the outer surface in strips.

Strips of an outer rind or surface that has been removed.

Verb

peeling

present participle of peel

Source: Wiktionary

PEEL

Peel, n. Etym: [OE. pel. Cf. Pile a heap.]

Definition: A small tower, fort, or castle; a keep. [Scot.]

Peel, n. Etym: [F. pelle, L. pala.]

Definition: A spadelike implement, variously used, as for removing loaves of bread from a baker's oven; also, a T-shaped implement used by printers and bookbinders for hanging wet sheets of paper on lines or poles to dry. Also, the blade of an oar.

Peel, v. t. Etym: [Confused with peel to strip, but fr. F. piller to pillage. See Pill to rob, Pillage.]

Definition: To plunder; to pillage; to rob. [Obs.] But govern ill the nations under yoke, Peeling their provinces. Milton.

Peel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Peeled; p. pr. & vb. n. Peeling.] Etym: [F. peler to pull out the hair, to strip, to peel, fr. L. pilare to deprive of hair, fr. pilus a hair; or perh. partly fr. F. peler to peel off the skin, perh. fr. L. pellis skin (cf. Fell skin). Cf. Peruke.]

1. To strip off the skin, bark, or rind of; to strip by drawing or tearing off the skin, bark, husks, etc.; to flay; to decorticate; as, to peel an orange. The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands. Shak.

2. To strip or tear off; to remove by stripping, as the skin of an animal, the bark of a tree, etc.

Peel, v. i.

Definition: To lose the skin, bark, or rind; to come off, as the skin, bark, or rind does; -- often used with an adverb; as, the bark peels easily or readily.

Peel, n.

Definition: The skin or rind; as, the peel of an orange.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition