To strip the blubber or fat from a whale, seal, or other large sea mammal, typically to obtain oil for lamps and other products.
From Dutch vlenzen, related to German Flansch and Scandinavian languages; introduced to English through the whaling industry in the 1600s-1800s.
Flensing was such a dangerous, specialized skill that whalers had 'flensemasters' who supervised the process—one mistake could mean a worker lost a limb or fell into the ocean!
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