pelt
UK[pɛlt]US[pɛlt]
v
to attack someone by repeatedly throwing things at them
v
(of rain, hail, etc.) to fall very heavily and noisily
n
the skin of a dead animal, especially with the fur or hair still on it
Etymology
the word 'pelt' has a complex and somewhat obscure etymological history. its verbal sense, meaning to strike or throw missiles, likely originates from the middle english 'pelten', a variant of 'pilten', meaning to thrust or strike. the noun, referring to an animal skin, entered english from middle french 'pellete', a diminutive of 'pel' meaning skin, which itself derives from latin 'pellis' (skin, hide). while the two modern meanings appear distinct, they may share a deeper, ancient connection to the idea of a blow or a skin being something stripped or beaten off. the convergence of these forms in modern english illustrates how phonetic similarity can merge words of different origins into a single lexical unit.
Analysis
this word is a simplex form. its core meaning derives from a middle english root.
Examples
the children pelted each other with snowballs during the winter storm.
hail began to pelt the roof of the car, creating a tremendous racket.
the trapper brought a bundle of beaver pelts to trade at the outpost.