ˈglēn verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English glenen, from Middle French glener, from Late Latin glenare, glennare, of Gaulish origin; akin to Middle Irish di gliunn I glean; akin to Russian glyadet' to look — more at glent
intransitive verb
1. : to pick up or gather together the scattered remainder of grain or other produce dropped or left lying by reapers or other regular gatherers
spent hours gleaning in the wheat fields
2. : to pick up, gather together, or acquire information or other material bit by bit from some source : gradually scrape together facts or other material found here and there in some source
they learned what they wanted to know by gleaning through the library
transitive verb
1.
a. : to pick up or gather together (scattered grain or other produce left by reapers or other regular gatherers)
gleaning stray ears of corn
b. : to strip (as a grain field) by gleaning : leave bare by gleaning
gleaning a vineyard
2.
a. : to pick up or scrape together (information, facts, or other material) in piecemeal fashion : acquire bit by bit from some source
many stimulating ideas can be gleaned from that magazine
: manage to get
later on I gleaned an idea of your mother's strong character — Clemence Dane
gleaned a little hope from that — H.A.Chippendale
some money can be gleaned from the venture
b. : to go over or through carefully so as to discover and pick up bits of information or other material
the writings of our bolder ancestors are gleaned for signs of conformity — Philip Edwards
3. : to find out in a superficial way or gain a cursory knowledge of by piecing together bits of information or other material picked up from some source
I will call again to glean your views — H.J.Laski
: make out : learn , ascertain
I could not glean what he really meant
gleaning their whereabouts from what they had said before leaving
Synonyms: see reap