Pronunciation: [wˈɪnə͡ʊɪŋ] (IPA) 
The word "winnowing" is spelled with a silent "w" at the beginning, as in /ˈwɪn.oʊ.ɪŋ/. The "i" in the first syllable is pronounced as a short "i" sound, as in "win," while the second syllable contains a long "o" sound, as in "dough." The "n" at the end of the first syllable is doubled to indicate that it is pronounced more strongly than a single "n." The final syllable is pronounced with an "ing" sound, as in "singing."
Winnowing is a process that involves separating grains or seeds from chaff or husks by means of a current of air. It is a traditional method used in agriculture for centuries to separate valuable food grains from impurities. The primary objective of winnowing is to obtain clean and edible grains by removing unwanted materials.
The process of winnowing typically involves tossing the mixed contents (grains and chaff) into the air and letting the wind carry away the lighter chaff while allowing the heavier grains to fall back into a container or onto the ground. This separation is facilitated by the difference in weight between the grains and the chaff, as the lighter straw-like chaff is easily carried away by the wind, while the heavier grains remain.
Winnowing has been a prevalent farming practice globally, especially in regions where threshing is conducted manually. It is commonly used for crops such as rice, wheat, millet, barley, and other small grains. In modern agricultural practices, winnowing is often mechanized using specialized machines that blow air through the crop to separate the unwanted chaff from the valuable grains.
Beyond agriculture, winnowing is also used metaphorically to describe the process of separating or sifting through vast amounts of information or ideas to identify what is valuable or relevant. It can be applied to various domains, including scientific research, data analysis, or decision-making processes, where the aim is to extract the essential components or eliminate extraneous elements for clarity or efficiency.
The act of separating the chaff from grain.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The term "winnowing" originated from the Old English word "windwian", which meant "to separate grain from chaff by wind". It is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "windaną", which meant "to winnow" or "blow". The word "winnow" has its roots in the Proto-Indo-European root "wendʰ-", meaning "to turn" or "to wind". This etymology shows how the process of winnowing involves separating desirable components from unwanted ones by using the force of wind or air to blow off the lighter chaff from the heavier grain.
