descascarar

Senses

1. 1.

   to peel, to shell, to husk

   to remove the outer layer, skin, or shell from something

2. 2.

   to chip, to flake off

   to lose or cause the outer coating to break away in pieces

Examples

• "Tengo que descascarar las nueces antes de comerlas."

  I need to shell the nuts before eating them.

• "La pintura se está descascarando de las paredes."

  The paint is chipping off the walls.

• "Descascará las semillas de girasol con los dedos."

  She will crack open the sunflower seeds with her fingers.

Usage

Common in everyday Spanish for food preparation and describing deterioration of surfaces. Can be reflexive (descascararse) when referring to something naturally peeling or chipping away. The prefix 'des-' indicates removal or reversal of the action implied by 'cascarar' (to have a shell or crust).