From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
flake
n 1: a crystal of snow [syn: snowflake, flake]
2: a person with an unusual or odd personality [syn:
eccentric, eccentric person, flake, oddball, geek]
3: a small fragment of something broken off from the whole; "a
bit of rock caught him in the eye" [syn: bit, chip,
flake, fleck, scrap]
v 1: form into flakes; "The substances started to flake"
2: cover with flakes or as if with flakes
3: come off in flakes or thin small pieces; "The paint in my
house is peeling off" [syn: peel off, peel, flake off,
flake]