What does winnow mean?
Word: Winnow
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Winnow means to separate grain from its dry outer husk by blowing air through it. It can also mean to cut a large number down to the best few.
How do you spell winnow?
Syllables: win - now
Tricky part: The n is doubled, although you hear it only once in quick speech, and students often write winow.
Watch out for: winow, winnowe
Memory tip: Picture two hands tossing grain into the wind: two hands, two n's.
Winnow in a sentence
Example 1: Farmers in the village still winnow rice by tossing it from a flat basket.
Example 2: The coach had to winnow forty hopeful players down to a squad of eleven.
Example 3: We watched Grandmother winnow the wheat on the roof before the rain came.
Fun Fact
This verb comes from an Old English word linked to wind, which makes sense: the moving air carries away everything but the grain.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
w_nn_w
a) i, o
b) a, o
c) i, a
d) e, o
Show answer
a) i, o. The first syllable sounds like what a team hopes to do in a match, and the close is the same as in window.
Mingle-Mangle
Choose the word that the jumbled letters in the sentence make:
After the harvest, the women nwoinw the millet on breezy afternoons.
a) wallow
b) window
c) winnow
d) minnow
Show answer
c) winnow. Two w's, two n's, an i and an o: minnow lacks a w, and the others need a d or an l.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word winnow as used in the sentence:
The committee will winnow the essays and keep only the ten strongest.
a) print
b) sift
c) collect
d) praise
Show answer
b) sift. Going through a pile to pick out the best is sifting it.
Spell-o-Spell
Just one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose what it means.
1. rythm 2. winnow 3. knapsak 4. yaght
a) a light sailing boat used for racing
b) a small bag carried on the back
c) to clean grain using moving air
d) a regular repeated pattern of sounds
Show answer
c) to clean grain using moving air. Rhythm needs an h after the r, yacht has a c before its h and knapsack closes in ck, which leaves the harvest verb.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What does a farmer need most for this work when doing it by hand?
a) a deep pond
b) a bright lamp
c) a steady breeze
d) a strong rope
Show answer
c) a steady breeze
2. The light waste that floats away during winnowing is called ____.
a) silt
b) chaff
c) pollen
d) loam
Show answer
b) chaff
