to winnow grain from chaff

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• winnow — /ˈwɪnoʊ / (say winoh) verb (t) 1. to free (grain, etc.) from chaff, refuse particles, etc., by means of wind or driven air; fan. 2. to blow upon, as the wind does upon grain in this process. 3. to drive or blow (chaff, etc.) away by fanning. 4.… …  

• winnow — winnower, n. /win oh/, v.t. 1. to free (grain) from the lighter particles of chaff, dirt, etc., esp. by throwing it into the air and allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away impurities. 2. to drive or blow (chaff, dirt, etc.)… …   Universalium

• winnow — win•now [[t]ˈwɪn oʊ[/t]] v. t. 1) ahb. to free (grain) of chaff by fanning with wind or a forced current of air 2) to drive or blow (chaff, dirt, etc.) away by fanning 3) to blow upon; fan 4) to subject to some process of separating or… …   From formal English to slang

• winnow — 1. verb /ˈwɪn.no/ a) To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff. They winnowed the field to twelve. b) To separate, sift, analyze, or test i …   Wiktionary

• Winnow — Win now (w[i^]n n[ o]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Winnowed} (w[i^]n n[ o]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Winnowing}.] [OE. windewen, winewen, AS. windwian; akin to Goth. winpjan (in comp.), winpi skauro a fan, L. ventilare to fan, to winnow; cf. L. wannus a fan… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• winnow — [win′ō] vt. [ME winewen < OE windwian, to winnow < wind, WIND2] 1. a) to blow the chaff from (grain) by wind or a forced current of air b) to blow off (chaff) in this manner 2. to blow away; scatter 3. to anal …   English World dictionary

• winnow — [OE] Etymologically, to winnow grain is to separate it from the chaff by means of the ‘wind’. The verb was coined in the Old English period from wind. The same notion underlay Latin ventilāre ‘winnow’ (source of English ventilate), which was… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

• winnow — [OE] Etymologically, to winnow grain is to separate it from the chaff by means of the ‘wind’. The verb was coined in the Old English period from wind. The same notion underlay Latin ventilāre ‘winnow’ (source of English ventilate), which was… …   Word origins

• winnow — win·now || wɪnəʊ n. act of winnowing; device for winnowing grain v. separate the grain from the chaff; separate the good from the bad; blow through; scatter; blow over; sift through, select the desirable parts …   English contemporary dictionary

• winnow — ► VERB 1) blow air through (grain) in order to remove the chaff. 2) remove (chaff) from grain. 3) reduce the number in a set of (people or things) gradually until only the best ones are left. ORIGIN Old English, related to WIND(Cf. ↑windless) …   English terms dictionary

• Winnow — Win now, v. i. To separate chaff from grain. [1913 Webster] Winnow not with every wind. Ecclus. v. 9. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English