1788, "to spray with urine" (trans.), euphemistic abbreviation of piss. Meaning "to urinate" is from 1879. Related: Peed; peeing. Noun meaning "act of urination" is attested by 1902; as "urine" by 1961. Reduplicated form pee-pee is attested by 1923.

1893, American English, in the figurative sense "fear or doubt that reverses an intention to do something;" the presumed Italian original (avegh minga frecc i pee) is a Lombard proverb meaning "to have no money," but some of the earliest English usages refer to gamblers, so a connection is possible.

"heavy coat generally worn by sailors in cold or stormy weather," 1721, a partial loan-translation of North Frisian pijekkat, from Dutch pijjekker, from pij "coarse woolen cloth" + jekker "jacket." Middle English had pee "coat of coarse, thick wool" (late 15c.). Related: Pea-coat.

tent used by some native North American peoples, 1743, ti pee, from Dakota (Siouan) thipi "dwelling, house."

"one who or that which pares off the rind" of fruit, etc., 1590s, agent noun from peel (v.).  In Middle English it meant "robber, thief" (mid-14c.), and in American English it meant "person of exceptional or unusual qualities" (1833). Meaning "strip-tease artist" (1951) is from peel (v.) in the colloquial sense of "strip off clothing" (1785). 

Sense of "policeman," 1817, British colloquial, originally a member of the Irish constabulary, named for Sir (at that time Mr.) Robert Peel (1788-1850) who founded the Irish Constabulary and later improved the police system of London. Compare bobby.

"to look closely," 1590s, variant of piren (late 14c.), with a long -i-, probably related to or from East Frisian piren "to look," of uncertain origin. Influenced in form and sense by Middle English peren (late 14c.), shortened form of aperen (see appear). Related: Peered; peering.

late 14c., peyvesshe "perverse, capricious, silly," a word of uncertain origin; probably modeled on Latin perversus "reversed, perverse," past participle of pervertere "to turn about" (see pervert (v.)). Original sense was obsolete from 17c. The meaning "cross, fretful. ill-tempered" is recorded from 1520s. Related: Peevishly; peevishness.

c. 1300, "an equal in rank, character, or status" (early 13c. in Anglo-Latin), from Anglo-French peir, Old French per (10c.), from Latin par "equal" (see par (n.)). Sense of "a nobleman of especial dignity" (late 14c.) is from Charlemagne's Twelve Peers in the old romances, who, like the Arthurian knights of the Round Table, originally were so called because all were equal. Sociological sense of "one of the same age group or social set" is from 1944. Peer review "evaluation of a scientific project by experts in the relevant field" is attested by 1970. Peer pressure is recorded by 1971.

"a short chirp, the cry of a mouse or young chick or other small bird," mid-15c., from peep (v.2); meaning "slightest sound or utterance" (usually in a negative context) is attested by 1903. Meaning "young chicken" is from 1680s. The marshmallow peeps confection are said to date from the 1950s.

"to strip off" the skin, bark, or rind from, developed from Old English pilian "to peel, skin, decorticate, strip the skin or ring," and Old French pillier, both from Latin pilare "to strip of hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Probably also influenced by Latin pellis "skin, hide." Related: Peeled; peeling. Intransitive sense of "to lose the skin or rind" is from 1630s.

The figurative expression keep (one's) eyes peeled "be observant, be on the alert" is by 1852, American English, perhaps a play on the potato "eye," which is peeled by stripping off the skin. Peel out "speed away from a place in a car, on a motorcycle, etc.," is hot-rodders' slang, attested by 1952, perhaps from the notion of leaving behind a "peel" of rubber from the tire as it skids. Aircraft pilot phrase peel off "veer away from formation" is from World War II; earlier American English had slang peel it "run away at full speed" (1860).