Pare
/pɛər/
verbB2
Definition
To pare something means to carefully cut off the outer layer or edges. It is often used with fruits or vegetables, like removing the skin from an apple. It can also mean to reduce something by cutting away unnecessary parts.
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See It in Action
To cut off the outer layer or skin of fruits or vegetables
- •She pared the apple before eating it.
- •The chef pared the carrots to remove the rough skin.
- •Please pare the potatoes carefully so you don't waste too much.
To reduce something by removing small or unnecessary parts
- •The company pared costs to save money.
- •He pared down his speech to fit the time limit.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'pare' like 'cut' (A1 word), but smaller and more careful, like cutting just the skin or edges
- ✓Picture peeling an apple with a small knife, removing thin strips of skin slowly and carefully
- ✓It's the feeling of making something neat and clean by taking away the extra or rough parts
- ✓Sounds like 'pair' → imagine two thin strips of apple skin that come off in a pair when you pare
- ✓Imagine a cook in a kitchen preparing food by carefully removing the skin or rough edges to make it better
- ✓NOT like 'chop' (big pieces cut quickly), 'pare' is small, thin, and careful cutting
- ✓NOT like 'peel' (usually removing the whole skin), 'pare' can mean cutting off thin layers or edges
- ✓NOT like 'cut' (general cutting), 'pare' is more precise and gentle, focused on removing small outer parts
Try Other Words
- •Peel: to remove the outer skin completely (Use when removing the whole skin, not just trimming)
- •Trim: to cut small parts to make neat or smaller (Use when cutting edges or excess parts, not just outer skin)
- •Shave: to cut very thin layers off (Use when cutting very thin slices, like shaving wood or hair)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: pare (simple root word, no prefix or suffix)
- •Etymology: From Old French 'parer' meaning to prepare or make ready by trimming
- •Historical development: Originally meant to prepare or equip, then developed to mean cutting off edges or outer parts
- •Modern usage: Commonly used in cooking for removing skins or outer layers, and in business or speech to mean reducing something carefully
Reflect & Connect
•When do you think it is important to pare something carefully instead of just cutting it quickly?
•How can the idea of paring apply to things other than food, like work or ideas?
Fill in the blanks
1.To make the apple ready for the pie, she had to pare ___ the ___ skin carefully.
2.The gardener pared the branches to ___ the tree’s shape and ___ dead parts.
3.When you pare costs, you usually remove ___ or ___ expenses to save money.
4.Unlike chopping, to pare means to cut in ___, ___ layers or small pieces.
5.He pared down his presentation to ___ the most important points and ___ the rest.
6.You should always use a ___ knife when you pare fruits or vegetables to avoid ___.
7.After paring the carrot, the cook noticed the ___ was smoother and ___ to eat.