pithing Definition

pith
noun

1. The soft white tissue that lies beneath the rind of many citrus fruits, eg orange.
2. bot.
In the stem of many plants: a central cylinder of generally soft tissue, composed of parenchyma cells, used mainly for storage.
3. The most important part of an argument, etc.

Thesaurus: centre, crux, essence, gist, point, core, kernel, marrow, heart, meat.
4. Substance, forcefulness or vigour as a quality in writing, etc.

verb pithed, pithing

1. To remove the pith from (a plant).
2. To kill (animals) by severing, piercing or destroying the marrow or central nervous system.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon pitha.