Skin, hide, pelt, rind, bark, peel can all denote an outer removable coat which adheres to and protects the inner tissues of a body or organism.
Skin, the most general term, applies especially to the outer covering of animals, whether it is as delicate as the one which covers the human body or as tough as the one which covers a rhinoceros; it is used also of the outer coverings of various fruits, plants, and seeds especially when they are thin and tight.
Skin applies to this integument whether it covers the living organism or has been stripped from it.
Hide applies to the tough skin of large animals (as the rhinoceros or the horse); in commercial use it is applied specifically to the raw or undressed skins of cattle, horses, and other large animals, sometimes in distinction from those of calves, sheep, and goats, which are commonly described merely as skins .
Pelt is applied chiefly to the skin of an animal that is covered with hair, fur, or wool; in commerce it usually denotes an undressed skin of any of these animals and especially of a furred animal. It is applied also to the skin of a sheep or goat stripped of wool or hair and ready for tanning.
Rind applies chiefly to the thick, tough, and often inelastic outer layer which covers certain fruits (as oranges and melons) or the stems and roots of some woody perennial plants (then usually called bark ) .
The hardened skin on smoked meats (as bacon) and the hardened crust of molded cheeses are also called rinds . A skin or rind of a fruit or a portion of it that is or may be stripped free is called peel .