winnow

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of separating grain from chaff

   The winnowing was done by women.

2. 2
   verb

   blow away or off with a current of air

   Winnow chaff.

3. 3
   verb

   separate the chaff from by using air currents

   I stood there winnowing chaff all day in the field.

4. 4
   verb

   blow on like wind

   The wind was winnowing my hair.

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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