Main Entry: ¹win·now

Pronunciation: \ˈwi-(ˌ)nō\

Function: verb

Etymology: Middle English winewen, from Old English windwian to fan, winnow; akin to Old High German wintōn to fan, Latin vannus winnowing fan, ventus wind — more at wind

Date: before 12th century

transitive verb 1 a (1) : to remove (as chaff) by a current of air (2) : to get rid of (something undesirable or unwanted) : remove —often used with out <winnow out certain inaccuracies — Stanley Walker> b (1) : separate, sift <an old hand at winnowing what is true and significant — Oscar Lewis> (2) : select
2 a : to treat (as grain) by exposure to a current of air so that waste matter is eliminated b : to free of unwanted or inferior elements : pare c : narrow, reduce <winnowed the field to four contenders>
3 : to blow on : fan <the wind winnowing his thin white hair — Time>intransitive verb 1 : to separate chaff from grain by fanning
2 : to separate desirable and undesirable elements

— win·now·er \ˈwi-nə-wər\ noun