winnow
/ˈwɪnoʊ/
verb
Origin
Old English
windwian — to fan, winnow
Overview
Meaning Now
- To remove chaff from grain by blowing air through it.
- To separate or select the desirable from the undesirable; to sift through.
Literal older meaning
to blow or fan
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
windwian
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The practice of winnowing was a fundamental agricultural task in early civilizations, involving tossing threshed grain into the air so that the wind would carry away the lighter husks (chaff), leaving the heavier, edible seeds behind. This process became a powerful metaphor for discrimination and judgment in literature.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*wē-
“to blow”
- Proto-Germanic
*windwjaną
“to blow away, to winnow”
- Old English
windwian
“to separate grain from chaff”
- Middle English
winewen
“to blow upon, to winnow”
- Modern English
winnow
“to blow away chaff; to examine closely”
Connections
Word parts
win
root
wind/blow
ow
suffix
verb-forming suffix
Related across languages
Old High German
wintwian
to winnow
Old Norse
vindra
to winnow
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Related to winnow
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.