Word of the Day

: December 3, 2009

winnow

verb WIN-oh

What It Means

1 : to remove (as chaff) by a current of air; also : to free (as grain) from waste in this manner

2 : to remove, separate, or select as if by winnowing

3 : to narrow or reduce

4 : to blow on or fan

winnow in Context

The search committee is finding it extremely difficult to winnow the list of job candidates down to five; many of them are highly qualified and very desirable.

Did You Know?

Beginning as "windwian" in Old English, "winnow" first referred to the removal of chaff from grain by a current of air. This use was soon extended to describe the removal of anything undesirable or unwanted (a current example of this sense would be "winnowing out outdated information"). People then began using the word for the selection of the most desirable elements (as in "winnowing out the qualified applicants"). The association of "winnow" with the movement of air led to the meanings "to brandish" and "to beat with or as if with wings," but those uses are now rare. The last meanings blew in at the turn of the 19th century. They are "to blow on" and "to blow in gusts."