pare Definition

pare
verb pared, paring

1. To trim off (skin, etc) in layers.

Thesaurus: crop, trim, prune, cut, clip, lop, shave.
Form: pare something away (also)
2. To cut (fingernails or toenails).
3. To peel (fruit).
4. To reduce (expenses, funding, etc) gradually, in order to economize.

Thesaurus: diminish, decrease, reduce, cut (back).
Form: pare something down (also)

Etymology: 14c: from French parer, from Latin parare to prepare.