winnowing
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win·now
(wĭn′ō)v. win·nowed, win·now·ing, win·nows
v.tr.
1. To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air.
2. To blow (chaff) off or away.
3. To examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift: The judges winnowed a thousand essays down to six finalists.
4.
a. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: winnowing out the errors in logic.
b. To sort or select (a desirable part); extract: The investigators winnowed the facts from the testimony.
5. To blow on; fan: a breeze winnowing the tall grass.
v.intr.
1. To separate grain from chaff.
2. To separate the good from the bad.
n.
1. A device for winnowing grain.
2. An act of winnowing.
[Middle English winnewen, alteration of windwen, from Old English windwian, from wind, wind; see wind1.]
win′now·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | ![]() separation - sorting one thing from others; "the separation of wheat from chaff"; "the separation of mail by postal zones" |
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