Link Centre Dictionary

pelt

US/pɛlt/ uncommon archaic informal obsolete rare
verb (3) noun (2)

verb

1.

cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile

  • “They pelted each other with snowballs”
Synonyms
2.

attack and bombard with or as if with missiles

  • “pelt the speaker with questions”
Synonyms
3.

rain heavily

  • “Put on your rain coat-- it”
Synonyms

noun

1.

the dressed hairy coat of a mammal

Synonyms
2.

Origin

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”). Related to fell, pilch, film. Also compare Old Norse feldr (“pelt”). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Norwegian Bokmål pels (“fur; fur coat”) * Norwegian Nynorsk pels (“fur; fur coat”)

Phrases

  • at full pelt
  • full pelt
  • pelt down
  • pelt of the dog
  • pelt rot

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.