thresh

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to separate grain or seeds from harvested plants by beating or by machine

   The farmers threshed the wheat after the sheaves had dried.

2. 2
   verb

   to beat, toss, or move about violently

   The injured bird threshed its wings against the net.

Simplified etymology

Thresh and thrash are variants of the same Old English word, probably from a Germanic root meaning “to tramp with the feet.” When grain ceased to be trodden out and was beaten with a flail instead, thresh became restricted to this agricultural process.

From Middle English thresshen, from Old English threscan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic threskanan, 'to thresh.' Thrash is a later variant of the same verb.

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