skimmer

C2+ Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /ˈskɪmər/ UK /ˈskɪmə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a utensil or device for removing matter from a liquid surface

She used a skimmer to lift the foam off the simmering broth.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a utensil or device for... strainer ladle scoop

Word family

Related forms skim scum skimming

Etymology

From skim (from Old French escumer 'to remove scum', from escume 'scum, foam', of Germanic origin) plus the instrumental suffix -er.

escume Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# skimmer

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈskɪmər/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈskɪmə/

## Meanings
1. a utensil or device for removing matter from a liquid surface

## Examples
- She used a skimmer to lift the foam off the simmering broth.

## Synonyms
- strainer
- ladle
- scoop

## Related Forms
- skim
- scum
- skimming

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: escume

## Etymology
From skim (from Old French escumer 'to remove scum', from escume 'scum, foam', of Germanic origin) plus the instrumental suffix -er.

## AI Etymology
Skimmer comes from skim (from Old French escumer 'to remove scum', from escume 'scum, foam', of Germanic origin) plus the instrumental suffix -er. The historical chain includes Old French escume. Older glosses in the chain include "to remove scum" and "scum, foam", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, skimmer is best read as suffixal formation and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "a utensil or device for removing matter from a liquid surface". related forms include skim, scum, and skimming. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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