verb

skim

Translation

to read quickly, to remove from a surface, to move over lightly

I only had time to skim the report.

Skim the fat from the top of the soup.

A stone skimmed across the water.

((sth.)) to read (sth.) quickly I need to skim this chapter before the test.

((sth.)) ((from/off sth.)) to remove (sth.) from the surface of (sth.) Skim the cream off the milk.

((across/over sth.)) to move lightly over (a surface) The boat skimmed over the waves.

Synonyms: (read) scan, glance through; (remove) cream off; (move) glide

Related to Old French 'escumer' (to remove scum). The image of taking something off the top is central.

Imagine a pool 'skimmer' tool. It glides over the surface to quickly remove leaves, just like you 'skim' a text to quickly get the main points.