winnow

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪnoʊ/

The English word “winnow” has 6 meanings listed here.

verb

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

noun

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

Etymology

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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.