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v. win·nowed, win·now·ing, win·nows v.tr. 1. To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air. 2. To blow (chaff) off or away. 3. To examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift: The judges winnowed a thousand essays down to six finalists. 4. a. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: winnowing out the errors in logic. b. To sort or select (a desirable part); extract: The investigators winnowed the facts from the testimony. 5. To blow on; fan: a breeze winnowing the tall grass. v.intr. 1. To separate grain from chaff. 2. To separate the good from the bad. n. 1. A device for winnowing grain. 2. An act of winnowing. [Middle English winnewen, alteration of windwen, from Old English windwian, from wind, wind; see WIND1.] winnow·er n. |
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