What does winnow mean?
To winnow is to separate the worthwhile from the useless, much as grain is traditionally separated from chaff by wind. In its literal sense, the verb describes the winnowing of grain, in which lighter chaff is blown away while the heavier kernels remain. In modern figurative use, it means to examine material carefully and retain only the strongest, most useful, or most valuable elements: a reviewer may winnow a list of applications, or an editor may winnow a draft until its essential points remain. The word often conveys disciplined selection rather than the simple rejection of everything unacceptable. It is especially appropriate when a process removes a substantial amount of secondary or inferior material. Although usually formal in register, winnow is broadly understood and gives figurative language a vivid connection with an ancient agricultural practice.
To separate grain from chaff by blowing, or to sift through something and select or retain only what is valuable.
"The editor winnowed hundreds of submissions to find a dozen suitable for publication."
The figurative use is more common today than the literal agricultural sense and often has a formal or literary register.
A machine or apparatus used to separate grain from chaff.
"An old winnow stood near the threshing barn."
This noun is rare and chiefly associated with agricultural or historical contexts.
Rare; used for multiple winnowing machines or apparatuses.
"The collection includes two winnows used on nineteenth-century farms."
Winnow turns the ancient image of grain tossed in the wind into a useful metaphor for finding value amid a noisy abundance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does winnow come from?
The word comes from Old English windwe, used for separating grain from chaff with wind, and survives in modern English with both its agricultural and figurative senses. Its development is closely associated with wind, windy, windmill, and windswept, which belong to the same broad family of English words. The figurative meaning of selecting what is valuable developed from the physical process of allowing chaff to be carried away while the useful grain remains.
Related word forms
How winnow is actually used
The physical sense is now relatively uncommon, while the figurative sense is more frequent and carries a somewhat formal or literary tone. It is typically transitive and often suggests that unwanted material is being progressively removed.
Easily confused with winnow
A window is an opening in a wall or vehicle that admits light, whereas winnow means to separate or select by sifting.