winnow
pronunciation
How to pronounce winnow in British English:
UK [ˈwɪnəʊ]
How to pronounce winnow in American English:
US [ˈwɪnoʊ]
-
- Noun:
- the act of separating grain from chaff
-
- Verb:
- separate from chaff
- blow on
- treat by exposure to a current of air so that waste matter is eliminated
- remove by a current of air
Word Origin
- winnow
- 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 derived from ventus ‘wind’ (a relative of English wind).=> wind
- winnow (v.)
- late 14c., from Old English windwian "to fan, winnow," from wind "air in motion, paring down," see wind (n.1). Cognate with Old Norse vinza, Old High German winton "to fan, winnow," Gothic diswinþjan "to throw (grain) apart."
Example
- 1. Expect consolidation to winnow the corporate ranks .
- 2. Fujian winnow investment and management company limited .
- 3. Xuanwei city pulitzer winnow rural fire village .
- 4. But obama won significant pledges from some countries to winnow or eliminate nuclear weapons materials .
- 5. Like their ancestors , women winnow grain by hand near lake titicaca .