Winnow - Definition

n 1: the act of separating grain from chaff; "the winnowing was
done by women" [syn: winnow, winnowing, sifting]
v 1: separate the chaff from by using air currents; "She stood
there winnowing chaff all day in the field" [syn: winnow,
fan]
2: blow on; "The wind was winnowing her hair"; "the wind
winnowed the grass"
3: select desirable parts from a group or list; "cull out the
interesting letters from the poet's correspondence"; "winnow
the finalists from the long list of applicants" [syn: cull
out, winnow]
4: blow away or off with a current of air; "winnow chaff"