Skinning, a gerund

Gerund

In linguistics* As applied to English, it refers to the usage of a verb as a noun ....

 from the verb to skin, commonly refers to the act of skin

Skin

-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...

 removal.

The process is usually done with animals, mainly as preparation of the meat beneath and/or use for the fur

Fur

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...

. The skin can also be used as a trophy or a simple proof of the kill to collect a premium from health, agricultural, or other authorities, in the case of a species that has been declared a pest.

Skinning can also be performed on live humans as a form of capital punishment

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...

, known as flaying

Flaying

Flaying is the removal of skin from the body. Generally, an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact.-Scope:An animal may be flayed in preparation for human consumption, or for its hide or fur; this is more commonly called skinning....

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See also

• Animal trapping methods: Skinning animals
• Scalping
  Scalping
  Scalping is the act of removing another person's scalp or a portion of their scalp, either from a dead body or from a living person. The initial purpose of scalping was to provide a trophy of battle or portable proof of a combatant's prowess in war...