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Synonyms
win·now (wĭńō)

[Middle English winnewen, alteration of windwen, from Old English windwian, from wind, wind; see wind1.]

verb: -nowed, -now·ing, -nows. 

transitive verb 

    1. To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air.
    2. To rid of undesirable parts.
  2. To blow (chaff) off or away.
  3. To blow away; scatter.
  4. To blow on; fan: a breeze winnowing the tall grass.
  5. To examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift.
    1. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: winnowing out the errors in logic.
    2. To sort or select (a desirable part); extract.

intransitive verb 

  1. To separate grain from chaff.
  2. To separate the good from the bad.

noun 

  1. A device for winnowing grain.
  2. An act of winnowing.

derivatives

wińnow·er
noun