Learn French: Il a enlevé l'écorce de l'arbre. - He removed the bark from the tree.

In its standard form, enlever means 'to remove'. But as a pronominal verb (s'enlever), the meaning shifts to a passive 'to come off'. If you said L'écorce s'est enlevée, it would mean 'The bark came off' (on its own), rather than focusing on the person who physically removed it.

Why do we use de (de l'arbre) here instead of à, which is often used with verbs of taking?

When you take something away from a person or an animal, you typically use enlever à (e.g., Il a enlevé le jouet à l'enfant). However, when expressing physical separation from an inanimate object, place, or a whole (like pulling bark from a tree), you use de to mean 'from'.

Is the word écorce only used for trees?

While it primarily translates to 'bark', écorce is also the standard word for the thick rind or peel of a fruit, like an orange or a melon (une écorce d'orange). For thin-skinned fruits like apples or peaches, you would use la peau instead.

What is another common, much darker meaning of the verb enlever?

Aside from 'to remove' or 'to take off' (like clothes or bark), enlever is the standard French verb for 'to kidnap' or 'to abduct'.