écailler

Senses

1. 1.

   to scale (fish)

   to remove scales from a fish

2. 2.

   to chip or flake off

   to cause a surface to break off in small pieces

Examples

• "Je dois écailler le poisson avant de le cuire."

  I need to scale the fish before cooking it.

• "La peinture s'écaille sur les murs de la vieille maison."

  The paint is flaking off the walls of the old house.

• "Le vernis s'écaille lentement avec le temps."

  The varnish chips gradually over time.

Usage

Transitive when meaning "to scale a fish." More commonly used reflexively (s'écailler) to mean "to chip or peel away" (paint, varnish, plaster, etc.). Note the spelling: -iller, not -eler.