flay Hear it!

flay Definition

flay (flā)

transitive verb

  1. to strip off the skin or hide of, as by whipping
  2. to criticize or scold mercilessly
  3. to rob; pillage

Etymology: ME flan < OE flean, akin to MDu vlaen, ON fla < IE base *plē-, to tear off > flitch

flay Synonyms

flay

v.

  1. To remove skin, bark, hide, etc.

    peel, scalp, excoriate; see skin.

  2. To criticize

    reprove, castigate, rebuke; see censure.

flay Usage Examples

Object

  • skin: Included in the show are sacrificial knives and a pot used for storing flayed human skins.
  • carcass: They flayed the carcasses, dressed them, and prepared a tempting feast.
  • body: Flayed bodies are turning up at the local morgue.
  • man: The necessity for the flaying these men have rec d is shown by their diabolical private conduct.
  • offering: And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
  • ball: As the game progressed, the Dragons built up play after play flaying the ball around the hapless Unicorns like an unwanted child.

Adjective complement

  • alive: She was like the others, flayed alive, blood everywhere.

Modifying Another Word

  • alive: This gruesome little carving shows the saint being flayed alive.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • off: Which they do, except that when they find him he's hanging upside down from a tree with his skin flayed off.

Browse dictionary entries near flay

  1. flaxy
  2. flaxseed
  3. Flaxman
  4. flaxen
  5. flax
  6. flawless
  7. flaw
  8. flavour
  9. flavorless
  10. flavoring
  1. fldxt
  2. flea
  3. flea beetle
  4. flea-bitten
  5. flea circus
  6. flea-flicker
  7. flea market
  8. fleabag
  9. fleabane
  10. fleabite