Where does “winnow” come from?
Winnow comes from Middle English winewen, from Old English windwian, from Proto-Germanic windwōną, from Proto-Indo-European wē-.
winnow (English): To subject to a current of air separating...
Definitions
- To subject to a current of air separating...
Ancestry of “winnow”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wyndwen | To winnow; to separate the grain from the chaff |
| 2 | Old English | windwian | to winnow, fan, ventilate; to fan, winnow |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *windwōn | to winnow, blow about in the wind |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | windwōną | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wē- | to winnow, thresh; to blow, to breathe |
Words derived from “winnow”