Winnow is a verb that means to sift or separate. It’s also a noun that refers to a device used to winnow.
Our word of the day has its origin in Old English, where it meant ‘to fan.’ It’s also related to the word ‘wind.’ It may hep to think of a gust of wind as winnowing through a stack of paper.
The director needed to find a lead actor for his play by morning. So he had to winnow through a giant stack of resumes all night.