Pronunciation Verb
winnow (winnows, present participle winnowing; past and past participle winnowed)
- (transitive, agriculture) To subject (granular material, especially food grain) to a current of air separating heavier and lighter components, as grain from chaff.
- (transitive, figuratively) To separate, sift, analyze, or test by separating items having different values.
- They winnowed the field to twelve.
- They winnowed the winners from the losers.
- They winnowed the losers from the winners.
- (transitive, literary) To blow upon or toss about by blowing; to set in motion as with a fan or wings.
- 1872 Elliott Coues, Key to North American Birds
- Gulls average much larger than terns, with stouter build; the feet are larger and more ambulatorial, the wings are shorter and not so thin; the birds winnow the air in a steady course unlike the buoyant dashing flight of their relatives.
- 1872 Elliott Coues, Key to North American Birds
- (intransitive, literary, dated) To move about with a flapping motion, as of wings; to flutter.
- French: vanner
- German: worfeln, windsichten (technical), trennen
- Portuguese: joeirar
- Russian: ве́ять
- Spanish: ahechar, cribar
- French: séparer
- German: trennen, separieren, aussortieren, sichten
- Portuguese: joeirar
- Spanish: separar
winnow (plural winnows)
- That which winnows or which is used in winnowing; a contrivance for fanning or winnowing grain.
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