flay

Meaning

Verb

1. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive) To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).
2. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive) To frighten; scare; terrify.
3. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, intransitive) To be fear-stricken.

Noun

1. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal) A fright; a scare.
2. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal) Fear; a source of fear; a formidable matter; a fearsome or repellent-looking individual.

Synonyms

skin

peel

excoriate

strip

peel off

strip off

disrobe

rip off

tear off

slaughter

deprive of

disconnect

cut up

detach

harrow

harry

hit

lash

leaves

🍃

obsess

peeling

pester

plague

pull off

rack

scalp

scourge

scratch

scuff

shave

skinned

split

tear

flay a flint

torment

torture

upbraid

worry

prey on

rip open

afflict

crack

agonize

attack

👊

bait

bedevil

castigate

denude

deprive

excruciate

Translations

écorcher

desollar

häuten

scorticare

schinden

esfolar

abhäuten

despellejar

enthäuten

dépouiller

spelare

afstropen

angariare

scuoiare

spellare

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fleɪ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: flayen

Inherited from Old English: *flīeġan

Inherited from Middle English: flen

Inherited from Old English: flēan

In summary

From Middle English flayen, flaien, fleien, from Old English *flīeġan ("to cause to fly, put to flight, frighten"; found only in compounds: āflīeġan), from Proto-Germanic *flaugijaną (“to let fly, cause to fly”), causative of Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”).