Paring

/ˈpɛərɪŋ/

Meaning & Definition

noun

The act of trimming or cutting away the outer layer or parts of something, especially fruit or vegetables.

She spent the afternoon paring apples for the pie.

A small piece that has been cut away from a larger object.

The parings from the carrots were composted.

verb

To trim something by removing its outer layer or edges.

He started paring the orange to make it easier to eat.

To reduce something gradually by cutting or eliminating.

The teacher paring down the lengthy project requirements made it more manageable for the students.

Middle English, from the verb 'pare', which means to cut away the outer layer.

paring knife

A small knife used for peeling or trimming.

paring down

To reduce something to its essential parts.

pare

To trim or cut away the outer layer.

peel

To remove the outer covering or skin from a fruit or vegetable.

To lessen or reduce something drastically.

I had to pare down my budget to make ends meet.

To simplify or eliminate unnecessary parts.

She decided to pare her schedule to focus on the important tasks.