pelt
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: falconry
hobbies
hunting
lifestyle
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”)
Inflected forms:
form: pelts
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: pelts
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: pelting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: pelted
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: pelted
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: 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).
pos: noun
examples: Perhaps the reason why he [a stuffed fox] seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
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.
gloss: The skin of an animal (especially a goat or sheep) with the hair or wool removed, often in preparation for tanning.
pos: noun
tags: also
figuratively
gloss: The fur or hair of a living animal.
pos: noun
examples: Near-synonym: coat
The Cauſes and the Signs ſhall next be told, / Of ev'ry Sickneſs that infects the Fold [of sheep]. / A ſcabby Tetter on their pelts vvill ſtick, / VVhen the ravv Rain has pierc'd 'em to the quick: […]
gloss: Human skin, especially when bare; also, a person's hair.
pos: noun
tags: Ireland
humorous
informal
examples: Put on your dress, ye shameless witch, standin' there in your pelt I'll take a strap to, for havin' the conceit out of you, for by your idling had lost me the sup of gin to keep the breath of life in me. Cover your scut, or I'll welt the skin off it.
gloss: A garment made from animal skins.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: The body of any quarry killed by a hawk; also, a dead bird given to a hawk for food.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: If two [hawks] are flown they are certain to fell the game at once, and the falconer is always flurried by their violent propensity to crab over the "pelt."
gloss: To remove the skin from (an animal); to skin.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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.
gloss: Chiefly followed by from: to remove (the skin) from an animal.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: A gentleman (long agoe) lent him an old velvet ſaddle, […] [He] preſently untruſſeth, and pelts the out-ſide from the lining, […] with it he made him a caſe, or cover, for a dublet, which hath caſed and coverd his nakednes ever ſince: […]
gloss: To remove feathers from (a bird).
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
rare
transitive
examples: A Man took an Eagle, Pelted her VVings, and put her among his Hens. Somebody came and bought This Eagle, and preſently Nevv-Feather'd her.
Related words: fell
pelisse
pell
pellage
pellagra
pellicle
pilch
surplice
peltry
Derived words: peltless
peltmonger
pelt of the dog
pelt rot
Translations: