Whittled (down) (5)
I believe the answer is:
pared
'whittled down' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for pared that I've seen before include "Peeled the outer surface" , "Trimmed - peeled" , "Did prune" , "Of a fruit, peeled" , "Cut bit by bit" .)