To remove foam, froth, or scum from the surface of a liquid.
From Latin despumare, combining de- (away) and spumare (to foam, from spuma meaning foam or froth). This is a technical or archaic word used primarily in older medical or alchemical texts.
Medieval alchemists used 'despumate' when preparing medicines—they had to literally skim the foam off boiling liquids, and they gave this mundane task a fancy Latin name to make it sound more scientific.
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