Added 9 October 2026
glean
/ɡliːn/ verb
In Latin: racēmor Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about glean at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- To collect (fruit, grain, or other produce) from a field, an orchard, etc., after the main gathering or harvest.
- To collect (fruit, grain, or other produce) from a field, an orchard, etc., after the main gathering or harvest.
- To gather (something, now chiefly something intangible such as experience or information) in small amounts over a period of time, often with some difficulty; to scrape together.
noun
- A collection of something made by gleaning.
noun
- The afterbirth or placenta of an animal, especially a cow or sheep.
verb
Origin
The verb is derived from Late Middle English glenen (“to gather (heads of grain left by reapers), glean; to gather (things) together, collect”), from Old French glener, glainer (modern French glaner (“to gather, glean”)), from Late Latin glen(n)are, the present active infinitive of glen(n)ō (“to make a collection”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Gaulish, from Proto-Celtic *glanos (“clean; clear”, adjective), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰleh₁- (“to glow, shine; to be glowing or shining”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)