Hypertext Webster Gateway: "skimming"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Skim \Skim\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Skimmed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Skimming}.] [Cf. Sw. skymma to darken. [root]158. See
{Scum}.]
1. To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or
lying thereon, by means of a utensil that passes just
beneath the surface; as, to skim milk; to skim broth.
2. To take off by skimming; as, to skim cream.
3. To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to
glide swiftly along the surface of.
Homer describes Mercury as flinging himself from the
top of Olympus, and skimming the surface of the
ocean. --Hazlitt.
4. Fig.: To read or examine superficially and rapidly, in
order to cull the principal facts or thoughts; as, to skim
a book or a newspaper.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Skimming \Skim"ming\, n.
1. The act of one who skims.
2. That which is skimmed from the surface of a liquid; --
chiefly used in the plural; as, the skimmings of broth.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
skimming
n 1: the act of removing floating material from the surface of a
liquid
2: reading or glancing through quickly [syn: {skim}]
3: failure to declare income in order to avoid paying taxes on
it
4: the act of brushing against while passing [syn: {grazing}, {shaving}]
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