écrémer

Senses

1. 1.

   to skim (cream from milk)

   to remove cream from the surface of milk by skimming

2. 2.

   to cream; to separate out

   to extract or take away the best part of something

3. 3.

   to skim off; to take the cream of

   to obtain the choicest or most valuable portion

Examples

• "Autrefois, on écrimait le lait pour fabriquer du beurre."

  In the past, people would skim milk to make butter.

• "Les collecteurs écrimaient les meilleurs jeunes talents pour leurs équipes."

  The recruiters skimmed off the best young talent for their teams.

• "Il y a ceux qui écrimaient les profits et ceux qui les partageaient."

  There were those who creamed off the profits and those who shared them.

Usage

A somewhat literary or formal verb, often used in historical or metaphorical contexts. In modern French, it appears more frequently in figurative senses (to extract the best/most profitable part). The verb is regular (-er conjugation) and may also appear in business or financial contexts.