cull

Meaning

Verb

1. To pick or take someone or something (from a larger group).
2. To gather, collect.
3. To select animals from a group and then kill them in order to reduce the numbers of the group in a controlled manner.
4. To kill (animals etc).
5. To lay off in order to reduce the size of, get rid of.
6. To selectively not render or process certain objects, such as polygons.

Noun

1. A selection.
2. An organized killing of selected animals.
3. An individual animal selected to be killed, or item of produce to be discarded.
4. A lobster having only one claw.
5. A piece unfit for inclusion within a larger group; an inferior specimen.

Noun

A fool, gullible person; a dupe.

Concepts

cull

pick

pluck

choose

select

gather

winnow

reject

elect

sort

pick up

pick out

selection

reap

prefer

run on a curtailed schedule

thin out

pick and choose

culling

crop

constitute

excerpt

extract

choice

election

cull lumber

mill cull

cullwood

refused log

sift

card

tease

pick off

ablate

abolish

abrogate

blank out

breathe

call in

clear

close out

cross off

cross out

crush

cut out

delete

draw away

drive out

edit

eject

eliminate

excise

expunge

extirpate

harvest

hollow out

kill

lift

lop

mark

obviate

preclude

pull

purge

remove

rid of

scratch out

strike

strike off

strike out

strip

take

take away

take out

waste

wipe away

wipe off

write off

stem

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kʌl/

Etymology

From Middle English cullen, cuilen, coilen, from Old French cuillir (“collect, gather, select”), from Latin colligō (“gather together”). Doublet of coil.