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DictionaryflaySkin removal
verb

flay

FLAY/fleɪ/

To tear the skin from a body.

The man flays the fish, separating its silvery skin from the flesh.

An older South Asian man skins a fish fillet on a cutting board, pulling the silvery skin back while guiding a knife between skin and flesh.
Etymology
flayOld Englishto skin

Old English flean already meant to skin or flay. The selected meaning directly preserves that action of removing skin, rather than developing from a figurative use.

In context

Storytime Haven697:47
Your string will flay your arm ere you reach your up-shot this day.
Sir Nigel ⚔️🌟 | A Tale of Chivalry and Adventure | Arthur Conan Doyle

More examples

  • They flayed the rabbit and saved its hide.
  • The butcher flays the carcass before cutting it into portions.
  • Flaying an animal without damaging the hide takes practice.

Forms

flay · flays · flayed · flaying

Similar words

skin
Skin is the more ordinary term for removing an animal's hide.
strip
Strip means removing a covering, not necessarily skin.