winnow

Meaning

Verb

1. To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
2. To separate, sift, analyse, or test by separating items having different values.
3. To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
4. To move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.

Noun

1. That which winnows or which is used in winnowing; a contrivance for fanning or winnowing grain.
2. The act of winnowing

Synonyms

sift

fan

screen

cull

strain

sieve

winnowing

sifting

shake

sift through

prefer

analyze

select

choose

ventilate

blow

cull out

elect

sort

pick up

take apart

tear down

thresh

throw

toss

vet

whiff

wind

make fly

pour off

sieve out

strain off

blow apart

screening

pour out slowly

throw in air

repound

analyse

anatomize

beckon

blast

breathe

breeze

canvass

demount

examine

flap

flutter

parse

riddle

rouse

separate

separate out

smelt

sort out

study

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwɪnoʊ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: winewen

Inherited from Old English: windwian

Cognate with Middle High German: winden

Cognate with Icelandic: vinsa

Cognate with Latin: vannus

In summary

From Middle English winewen, windewen, windwen, 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 Middle High German winden (“to winnow”), Icelandic vinsa (“to pick out, weed”), Latin vannus (“a winnowing basket”). See fan, van.