Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Peel \Peel\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Peeled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Peeling}.] [F. peler to pull out the hair, to strip, to
   peel, fr. L. pilare to deprive of hair, fr. pilus a hair; or
   perh. partly fr. F. peler to peel off the skin, perh. fr. L.
   pellis skin (cf. {Fell} skin). Cf. {Peruke}.]
   1. To strip off the skin, bark, or rind of; to strip by
      drawing or tearing off the skin, bark, husks, etc.; to
      flay; to decorticate; as, to peel an orange.

            The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands.
                                                  --Shak.

   2. To strip or tear off; to remove by stripping, as the skin
      of an animal, the bark of a tree, etc.

Source : WordNet®

peeling
     adj : having the paint loose and peeling away; "a dilapidated
           house with peeling paint"; "peeling row houses"
     n : loss of bits of outer skin by peeling or shedding or coming
         off in scales [syn: {desquamation}, {shedding}]