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   winnow

   /ˈwɪnəʊ/

   verb

   • 1. blow a current of air through (grain) in order to remove the chaff: "a combine cuts, threshes, and winnows the grain in one operation"
   • ▪ remove (chaff) from grain: "women winnow the chaff from piles of unhusked rice" Similar separatedividesort outremoveget rid of
   • ▪ remove (people or things) from a group until only the best ones are left: "guidelines that would help winnow out those not fit to be soldiers"
   • ▪ find or identify (a valuable or useful part of something): "amidst this welter of confusing signals, it's difficult to winnow out the truth" Similar separate outsift outfilter outisolatesort outfindidentifyferret outseparate the wheat from the chaff
   • 2. (of the wind) blow: literary "the autumn wind winnowing its way through the grass"
   • ▪ (of a bird) fan (the air) with its wings: "the emperors of the sky winnowing the air"

   Word Origin Old Englishwindwian, from wind (see wind1).

   Derivatives

   • 1. winnower noun

   Scrabble Points: 12

   • W

     4

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

   • N

     1

   • O

     1

   • W

     4

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