I. ˈwi-(ˌ)nō verb
Etymology: Middle English winewen, from Old English windwian to fan, winnow; akin to Old High German wintōn to fan, Latin vannus winnowing fan, ventus wind — more at wind
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to remove (as chaff) by a current of air
(2) : to get rid of (something undesirable or unwanted) : remove — often used with out
winnow out certain inaccuracies — Stanley Walker
b.
(1) : separate , sift
an old hand at winnow ing what is true and significant — Oscar Lewis
(2) : select
2.
a. : to treat (as grain) by exposure to a current of air so that waste matter is eliminated
b. : to free of unwanted or inferior elements : pare
c. : narrow , reduce
winnow ed the field to four contenders
3. : to blow on : fan
the wind winnow ing his thin white hair — Time
intransitive verb
1. : to separate chaff from grain by fanning
2. : to separate desirable and undesirable elements
• win·now·er ˈwi-nə-wər noun
II. noun
Date: 1580
1. : a device for winnowing
2.
a. : the action of winnowing
b. : a motion resembling that of winnowing