Pronunciation: /ˈwɪnoʊ/

Definitions of winnow

noun The process of separating the chaff from grain by means of a current of air.

Example Sentences

A1 I used a winnow to separate the wheat from the chaff.

A2 The farmer used a winnow to remove the debris from the grain.

B1 The winnow helped filter out the impurities from the harvested crop.

B2 Using a winnow is an effective way to separate the unwanted particles from the desired ones.

C1 The winnowing process is crucial in agricultural practices to ensure high quality crops.

C2 Advanced winnowing techniques have been developed to improve the efficiency of grain separation.

verb To blow or fan away the chaff from grain by means of a current of air.

Example Sentences

A1 I winnowed the rice to remove any impurities.

A2 She winnowed through the pile of resumes to find the best candidates.

B1 The detective had to winnow through the evidence to solve the case.

B2 The editor winnowed down the submissions to select the best stories for the magazine.

C1 The scientist winnowed out irrelevant data to focus on the key findings of the study.

C2 The judge carefully winnowed the facts presented in court before making a decision.

Examples of winnow in a Sentence

formal The farmer used a winnowing machine to separate the wheat from the chaff.

informal I need to winnow down my list of potential colleges before I apply.

slang Let's winnow out the weak players and focus on the strongest ones.

figurative She had to winnow through all the conflicting advice to find the truth.

Grammatical Forms of winnow

past tense

winnowed

plural

winnows

comparative

more winnow

superlative

most winnow

present tense

winnow

future tense

will winnow

perfect tense

have winnowed

continuous tense

is winnowing

singular

winnow

positive degree

winnow

infinitive

to winnow

gerund

winnowing

participle

winnowed

Origin and Evolution of winnow

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Old English
Story behind the word: The word 'winnow' originated from Old English 'windwian' which means to separate grain from chaff by means of wind or a current of air.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'winnow' has evolved to also mean to sift through or separate out the good or useful part of something from the bad or undesirable part.