Words: cull [MW]

Pronunciation: 'k&l
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French cuillir, from Latin colligere to bind together -- more at COLLECT
1 : to select from a group : CHOOSE culled the best passages from the poet's work
2 : to identify and remove the culls from

(So cull carries the positive sense of reserving the best from a group rather than skimming the impurities from a pool.)