verb · transitive · rare

winnow

winnow · winnows · winnowed · winnowing

віяти, відсівати

веять, отвеивать, отвеять

trennen, worfeln, windsichten, separieren

To subject to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain…To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.

UK/ˈwɪnəʊ/US/ˈwɪnoʊ/

» She stored blankets in an old winnowing-basket.

Meaning

4 senses

(transitive)To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
worfeln, windsichten, trennen
ве́ятьvéjatʹ, отве́иватьotvéivatʹ, отве́ятьotvéjatʹ
ві́ятиvíjaty
separate the chaff from grain by using air currents
(figuratively, transitive)To separate, sift, analyse, or test by separating items having different values.
They winnowed the field to twelve.
They winnowed the winners from the losers.
trennen, separieren, aussortieren
відсіватиvidsivaty
(literary, transitive)To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
(dated, intransitive, literary)To move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.

Examples

1 sentences

She stored blankets in an old winnowing-basket.
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Translations

8 languages

Українська

By meaning 2

to separate the heavier and lighter with a current of air:

figuratively: to separate, sift, analyze, test:

Русский

By meaning 1

to separate the heavier and lighter with a current of air:

Deutsch

By meaning 2

to separate the heavier and lighter with a current of air:

figuratively: to separate, sift, analyze, test:

Origin

From Middle English wyndwen, from Old English windwian (“to winnow, fan, ventilate”), from

From Middle English wyndwen, from Old English windwian (“to winnow, fan, ventilate”), from Proto-West Germanic *windwōn, from Proto-Germanic *windwōną, *winþijaną (“to throw about, winnow”), from Proto-Indo-European *wē- (“to winnow, thresh”). Cognate with West Frisian wynje (“to winnow”), dialectal Dutch winden, winnen (“to winnow”), Middle High German winden (“to winnow”), Icelandic vinsa (“to pick out, weed”), Latin vannus (“a winnowing basket”). See fan, van.

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