PEEL Copy link • PEEL 1. s. cutis (thin skin of fruits): tunica (of corn and farinaceous plants): cortex (bark of trees). 2. v. TRANS., tunicam, cutem, detrahere; desquamare. To peel a tree, corticem arbori in orbem detrahere; decorticare arborem; delibrare arborem (to take off the inner bark). INTRANS., cutem, crustam, deponere or exuere; desquamari (Plin.); cortex ab arbore recedit (peels off).