pelt

Etymology 1

The noun is derived 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”)

noun

1. 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).
   My people got themselves pelts and pelts—there was such a trapping as comes but few times in a life. Pelts and pelts, the silver and the grey—fine pelts. 1922 July, E[velyn] Charles Vivian, “White Man’s Magic: A Story of the Canadian Mounted Police”, in The Boy’s Own Paper, volume XLV, part 9, London: “Boy’s Own Paper” Office,[…], →OCLC, page 617, column 1
2. (also figurative) The skin of an animal (especially a goat or sheep) with the hair or wool removed, often in preparation for tanning.
3. The fur or hair of a living animal.
4. (chiefly Ireland, humorous, informal) Human skin, especially when bare; also, a person's hair.
5. (obsolete)
   1. A garment made from animal skins.
   2. (falconry) The body of any quarry killed by a hawk; also, a dead bird given to a hawk for food.

verb

1. To remove the skin">skin from (an animal); to skin">skin.
   Let us take a typical case of a mink farmer here in Connecticut who is being forced to throw in the sponge this coming fall. […] He pelts from 3500 to 4000 minks a year and has a huge investment of several thousand dollars tied up in his mink business. 1967, James J. Critchley, “The Plight of the U.S. Mink Farmer”, in Import Quotas Legislation: Hearings before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, Ninetieth Congress, First Session on Proposals to Impose Import Quotas on Oil, Steel, Textiles, Meat, Dairy Products, and Other Commodities: Part 1[…], Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 108
2. Chiefly followed by from: to remove (the skin) from an animal.
3. (obsolete, rare) To remove feathers from (a bird).

Etymology 2

The verb is derived from Late Middle English pelt, pelte; further origin uncertain, probably a variant of Late Middle English pilten (“to push, thrust; to strike; to cast down, humble; to incite, induce; to place, put; to extend, reach forward with”) [and other forms], possibly from Old English *pyltan, from Late Latin *pultiare, from Latin pultare (“to beat, knock, strike”), the frequentative of pellere, the present active infinitive of pellō (“to drive, impel, propel, push; to hurl; to banish, eject, expel, thrust out; to beat, strike; to set in motion”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to beat; to drive, push”). The noun is derived from the verb.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. To bombard (someone or something) with missiles.
      The children are pelting each other with snowballs.
      They pelted the attacking army with bullets.
      He pelteth old gentlemen driving four-wheeled chaises with snuff-boxes, and distributeth pincushions to the domestics, breaking windows withal. 1847, Arthur Smith, “Of the Gent who Goes to the Races”, in The Natural History of the Gent, London: David Bogue,[…], →OCLC, page 48
      Standing again, he pelts Kyle in the stomach [with a snowball], who pelts Dad on the arm. 2020 October, Christian Lauren [pseudonym; Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings], chapter 1, in In a Holidaze, New York, N.Y.: Gallery Books, page 8
   2. To force (someone or something) to move using blows or the throwing of missiles.
   3. 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.
   4. Chiefly followed by at: to (continuously) throw (missiles) at.
      The children pelted apples at us.
   5. (archaic except Britain, dialectal) To repeatedly beat or hit (someone or something).
   6. (figurative) To assail (someone) with harsh words in speech or writing; to abuse, to insult.
2. (intransitive)
   1. Especially of hailstones, rain, or snow: to beat down or fall forcefully or heavily; to rain down.
      It’s pelting down out there!
      Thou peltest fast with icy show'r, / Which surely cannot please one; / The wind too has such boist'rous pow'r, / 'Tis quite enough to freeze one. 1822 May, J. M. Lacey, “Address to the First of April Last—a Very Cold Day”, in The Lady’s Monthly Museum; or, Polite Repository of Amusement and Instruction;[…], volume XV (Improved Series), London: […] Dean and Munday,[…], →OCLC, stanza 2, page 299
   2. (figurative) To move rapidly, especially in or on a conveyance.
      The boy pelted down the hill on his toboggan.
      Spring, is ye comen in, / Dappled larke singe, / Snow melteth, / Runnel pelteth, / Smelleth wind of newe buddinge. 1892 March, “Mother Talks—A Spring Walk”, in Cora L. Stockham, Andrea Hofer, editors, The Kindergarten Magazine[…], volume IV, number VII, Chicago, Ill.: Kindergarten Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 471, column 2
      While we choose and buy our purchases with mere inch-wide movements of our thumbs, they are busy rearranging the physical world so that our deliveries pelt towards us in ever-quicker time. 21 November 2019, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-07-11
   3. (archaic, also figurative) Chiefly followed by at: to bombard someone or something with missiles continuously.
   4. (obsolete) To throw out harsh words; to show anger.
      [S]he [the church] holdeth the veritie of his bodie [i.e., Jesus's body in the Eucharist]: ſhe pelteth not vvith God, denying this to be his body, bicauſe ſhe is cōmaunded to do this in remembrãce of hym: but ſhe doth beſt remembre hym, vvhen ſhe hath the bodie vvhich ſuffered, before her. “M. Iuell” is John Jewel. 1564 December 1 (Gregorian calendar), Iohn Rastell [i.e., John Rastell], “[Of Corpus Christi Daye and of the Seruice of that Holye Daye]”, in A Confutation of a Sermon, Pronoũced by M. Iuell, at Paules Crosse, the Second Sondaie before Easter (which Catholikes Doe Call Passion Sondaie) Anno Dñi .M.D.LX., Antwerp: […] Ægidius Diest, →OCLC, folio 84, verso

noun

1. A beating or falling down of hailstones, rain, or snow in a shower.
   Kas is awakened by the furious pelts of rain hitting the tin roof, and he rolls over, pulling his sleeping wife tightly into his arms. 15 July 2013, Karen-Anne Stewart, chapter 19, in Healing Rain (The Rain Trilogy; 2), Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, page 134
2. (archaic except Ireland) A blow or stroke from something thrown.
3. (figurative, archaic)
   1. (except Ireland) A verbal insult; a jeer, a jibe, a taunt.
   2. (except Midlands, Southern England (South West)) A fit of anger; an outburst, a rage.
4. (chiefly Northern England except in at (full) pelt) An act of moving quickly; a rush.

Etymology 3

Uncertain; possibly related to pelting (“mean, paltry”) (obsolete), peltry (“rubbish, trash; an unpleasant thing”) (chiefly Scotland, obsolete), and paltry (“of little value, trashy, trivial; contemptibly unimportant, despicable”), possibly from a Germanic language such as Middle Low German palte, palter (“cloth; rag, shred”), from Old Saxon *paltro, *palto (“cloth; rag”), from Proto-Germanic *paltrô, *paltô (“patch; rag, scrap”). The ultimate origin is uncertain, but the word is possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *polto- (“cloth”).

noun

1. A tattered or worthless piece of clothing; a rag.
2. (by extension) Anything in a ragged and worthless state; rubbish, trash.

Etymology 4

Uncertain; possibly related to palter (“to talk insincerely; to prevaricate or equivocate in speech or actions; to haggle; to babble, chatter; (rare) to trifle”), further etymology unknown. The Oxford English Dictionary takes the view that any relation to pelting (“mean, paltry”) (obsolete) and paltry (“of little value, trashy, trivial; contemptibly unimportant, despicable”) is unlikely.

verb

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To bargain for a better deal; to haggle.

Etymology 5

A variant of pelta, borrowed from Latin pelta, from Ancient Greek πέλτη (péltē, “small crescent-shaped leather shield of Thracian design”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps either from Thracian, or ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to cover; to wrap; hide; skin; cloth”).

noun

1. (obsolete, rare) Alternative form of pelta
   1. (historical) A small shield, especially one of an approximately elliptical form, or crescent-shaped.
   2. (botany) A flat apothecium with no rim.