to winnow
1
8.6
- verb
- /ˈwɪnoʊ/
:
aventar
- Day labor in this region is frequently an informal arrangement, where the primary female farmer or a single male farmer informs the single women several days in advance of the day and the type of labor needed, either weeding, tying cut rice, threshing, or winnowing.
- winnow wheat
- winnow rice
Examples
-
His exchange partners and siblings bring specifically listed items: a basket of winnowed rice, a jar of rice wine, a chicken, and traditionally, a bamboo container full of preserved fish or boar meat, called magibit (to bring with you).
Academic text (1993) -
He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets.
Blog text (11) -
This mix of nuts and shells is then winnowed out.
Academic text (2011) -
On the way, I am momentarily distracted by women threshing and winnowing wheat.
Academic text (2003) -
When Ben gets back home, in a van borrowed from a near neighbor, we will unpack the cartons and winnow the wheat from the chaff.
Fiction book (1990) -
The rest of the clippings were sprinkled into a winnowing basket with freshly ground sweet millet.
Academic text (1992) -
As the scroll unfolds from the right, the viewer follows first the ferry across the river and then the water carrier up the stairway into the right terrace, where the newly harvested raw wheat is being winnowed.
Academic text (2002) -
Farmers winnow their harvested grain by tossing it into the air so the wind can blow away the chaff.
-
To obtain clean seeds, you can winnow the beans by pouring them from one container to another in front of a fan.
-
After harvesting, the barley must be winnowed to ensure that the grain is free from unwanted chaff.
Synonyms
12
2.5
To put flour through a sieve to remove lumps
7
1.0
To move air by waving something like a piece of paper
1
6.8
Remove small bits and dirt from grain using a sieve
1
9.9
To sift grain or flour through a coarse sieve
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb winnow is tied to the same root wind ('to blow'), since farmers used wind or fans to blow away the light parts and keep the good grain. So, to winnow is to separate grain from chaff by blowing air through it.