paring

/ˈpɛr.ɪŋ/
noun
  1. A thin piece that has been cut off from something, especially the skin of a fruit or vegetable.
    • The chef saved the potato parings to make vegetable stock.
    • A pile of carrot parings sat on the cutting board.
    • She threw the apple parings into the compost bin.
  2. The act of cutting off the outer layer or skin of something.
    • The paring of the tough outer rind requires a sharp knife.
    • Paring the oranges took only a few minutes.
    • He is skilled at the careful paring of a pear.
verb
  1. Present participle of pare: to trim off the outer layer or skin of something.
    • The cook is paring the potatoes with a small knife.
    • He spent the morning paring vegetables for the stew.
    • She is paring the apples for the pie.
  2. Present participle of pare: to reduce something gradually, especially in size or amount.
    • The editor is paring the manuscript to a more readable length.
    • They are paring down the guest list to just close family.
    • The company is paring its expenses to stay profitable.
What does "paring" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean