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flay

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flay

   [fley]
verb (used with object)
1.
to strip off the skin or outer covering of.
2.
to criticize or scold with scathing severity.
3.
to deprive or strip of money or property.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English flen, Old English flēan; cognate with Middle Dutch vlaen, Old Norse flā

Related forms
flay·er, noun
un·flayed, adjective

Synonyms
2. castigate, excoriate, upbraid, chew out.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Flay is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
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Example Sentences
  • Flay is a longtime racehorse owner and fan of the sport.
  • Flay said as he sliced the potato into quarter-inch rounds, was the confiscation of a cured ham in his luggage upon his return.
Collins
World English Dictionary
flay (fleɪ)
 
—vb
1.  to strip off the skin or outer covering of, esp by whipping; skin
2.  to attack with savage criticism
3.  to strip of money or goods, esp by cheating or extortion
 
[Old English flēan; related to Old Norse flā to peel, Lithuanian plešti to tear]
 
'flayer
 
—n

fley or flay (fleɪ)
 
—vb
1.  to be afraid or cause to be afraid
2.  (tr) to frighten away; scare
 
[Old English āflēgan to put to flight; related to Old Norse fleygja]
 
flay or flay
 
—vb
 
[Old English āflēgan to put to flight; related to Old Norse fleygja]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flay
O.E. flean "to skin" (strong verb, pt. flog, pp. flagen), from P.Gmc. *flakhanan (cf. M.Du. vlaen, O.N. fla), from PIE root *plak- (cf. Gk. plessein "to strike"). Related: Flayed; flaying.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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