pelt

Meanings

Noun

the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
body covering of a living animal
The skin of an animal with the hair or wool on; either a raw or undressed hide, or a skin preserved with the hair or wool on it (sometimes worn as a garment with minimal modification).
The skin of an animal (especially a goat or sheep) with the hair or wool removed, often in preparation for tanning.
The fur or hair of a living animal.
Human skin, especially when bare; also, a person's hair.
A garment made from animal skins.
The body of any quarry killed by a hawk; also, a dead bird given to a hawk for food.
A beating or falling down of hailstones, rain, or snow in a shower.
A blow or stroke from something thrown.
A verbal insult; a jeer, a jibe, a taunt.
A fit of anger; an outburst, a rage.
An act of moving quickly; a rush.
A tattered or worthless piece of clothing; a rag.
Anything in a ragged and worthless state; rubbish, trash.
Alternative form of pelta.
A small shield, especially one of an approximately elliptical form, or crescent-shaped.
Alternative form of pelta.
A flat apothecium with no rim.

Verb

cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
- "They pelted each other with snowballs"
attack and bombard with or as if with missiles
- "pelt the speaker with questions"
rain heavily
To remove the skin from (an animal); to skin.
Chiefly followed by from: to remove (the skin) from an animal.
To remove feathers from (a bird).
To bombard (someone or something) with missiles.
To force (someone or something) to move using blows or the throwing of missiles.
Of a number of small objects (such as raindrops), or the sun's rays: to beat down or fall on (someone or something) in a shower.
Chiefly followed by at: to (continuously) throw (missiles) at.
To repeatedly beat or hit (someone or something).
To assail (someone) with harsh words in speech or writing; to abuse, to insult.
Especially of hailstones, rain, or snow: to beat down or fall forcefully or heavily; to rain down.
To move rapidly, especially in or on a conveyance.
Chiefly followed by at: to bombard someone or something with missiles continuously.
To throw out harsh words; to show anger.
To bargain for a better deal; to haggle.

Origin / Etymology

The noun is inherited from Middle English pelt (“skin of a sheep, especially without the wool”); further etymology uncertain, possibly:
* from Middle English pellet (“skin of an animal, especially a sheep”), from Anglo-Norman pelette, pellet, and Old French pelete, pelette (“thin layer, film, skin; epidermis; foreskin”), from pel (“skin; garment made of animal skin, pelisse”) (from Latin pellis (“animal skin, hide, pelt; leather; garment made of animal skin”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to cover; to wrap; hide; skin; cloth”)) + -ete (diminutive suffix); or
* from Late Latin peletta, pelleta, pelletta (“skin of an animal, especially a sheep”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* Norwegian Bokmål pels (“fur; fur coat”)
* Norwegian Nynorsk pels (“fur; fur coat”)

Synonyms

bang, baste, batter, beat, belabor, bethwack, blow, bombard, boom-boom, buffet, butt, calcitrate, cockshy, dab, dash, dowse, fetch one a blow, flap, fur, give toco, hammer, hide, hit, impact, jerk, kick, knock, lunge, pat, patter, pelt, pepper, pink, poke, pound, pour, pummel, punch, rain buckets, rain cats and dogs, rap, skin, slam, slap, smite, stream, strike, swap, tap, thrash, thump, thwack, vapulate, whack, whip, yerk

Scrabble Score: 6

pelt is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
pelt is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pelt is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

pelt is a valid Words With Friends word