Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sift” come from?

Sift comes from Old English siftan, from Proto-West Germanic siftijan, a word of uncertain ultimate origin and meaning.

sift (English): To sieve or strain; To separate or scatter as if...

Definitions

  1. To sieve or strain; To separate or scatter as if...

Ancestry of “sift”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsyftenTo sift, strain, or percolate; to pass through a...
2Old Englishsiftanto sift
3Proto-West Germanicsiftijanto sift

Words derived from “sift”

  • sifter
  • plansifter
  • resift
  • siftproof
  • siftable
  • presift
  • siftability
Every word from Proto-West Germanic siftijan →