Word Confusion: Peal versus Peel

Plural for the noun: peals
Gerund: pealing

Third person present verb: peals
Past tense or past participle: pealed
Present participle: pealing

Plural for the noun: peels
Gerund: peeling

Third person present verb: peels
Past tense or past participle: peeled
Present participle: peeling

A set of bells

[Bellringers] Ringing a series of unique changes on a set of bells

A loud repeated or reverberating sound of thunder or laughter

Verb, intransitive:
[Of a bell or bells] Ring loudly or in a peal

• [Of laughter or thunder] Sound in a peal

Verb, transitive:
[Of a bell or bells] Ring loudly or in a peal

• Convey or give out by the ringing of bells

Flat, shovel-like instrument, esp. one used by a baker for carrying loaves, pies, pizzas, etc., into or out of an oven ²

A small square defensive tower of a kind built in the 16th century in the border counties of England and Scotland ³

Verb, intransitive:
Remove the outer covering or skin from fruit, vegetables, or shrimp ¹

• [Of a fruit or vegetable] Have a skin that can be removed

[Of a surface or object] Lose parts of its outer layer or covering in small strips or pieces

• [Of an outer layer or covering] Come off, especially in strips or small pieces

Verb, transitive:
Remove the outer covering or skin from a fruit, vegetables, or shrimp ¹

• [Peel something away/off] Remove or separate a thin covering or part from the outside or surface of something
• Remove (an article of clothing)

Send another player’s [croquet] ball through a wicket ⁴

We’re planning to ring a peal on Christmas Day.

Later in the afternoon the first peals of thunder rolled across the sky.

A peal of laughter rang out across the Commons.

Verb, intransitive:
All the bells of the city began to peal.

Aunt Edie’s laughter pealed around the parlor.

Thunder pealed out across the sky.

Verb, transitive:
The carillon pealed out the news to the waiting city.

The Methodists pealed their chimes at sunrise.

The ringers at St Andrews pealed the changes.

I like using a wooden peel to remove my grilled pizzas from the kitchen fire.

Sam took the trays of muffins out with a peel.

Verb, intransitive:
Oranges that peel easily are my preference.

Ugh, the walls are peeling.

Better get those spuds peeled!

Verb, transitive:
She watched him peel an apple with deliberate care.

Peel off the skins and cut thick slices of potatoes.

Carefully peel away the wax paper.

Suzy peeled off her white pullover.

The better players are capable of peeling a ball through two or three wickets.

1. From Middle English in the sense of to plunder and is a variant of the dialectical pill, which is from the Latin pilare meaning to strip hair from, from pilus meaning hair. The differentiation between peel and pill may have been by association with the French verbs peler meaning to peel and piller meaning to pillage.
2. Late Middle English from the Old French pele, from the Latin pala, which is from the base of pangere meaning to fix, plant.
3. Probably short for synonymous peel-house: peel from the Anglo-Norman French pel meaning stake, palisade, which is from the Latin palus meaning stake.

   This noun version may also be spelled pele or peel tower.

4. Late 19th century from the name of Walter H. Peel, founder of the All England Croquet Association.