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Added 9 October 2026

sieve

/sɪv/ noun

Categories: ThingsRare Words

In Latin: crībrum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sieve at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A strainer for separating lumps from powdered material or grading particles.

verb

  1. Examine in order to test suitability.
    screen these samples
  2. Check and sort carefully.
    sift the information
  3. Separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements.
    sift the flour

Origin

From Middle English sive, syfe, from Old English sife, from Proto-West Germanic *sibi (“sieve”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyp-, *seyb- (“to pour, sieve, strain, run, drip”). Akin to German Sieb, Dutch zeef, Proto-Slavic *sito (Russian си́то (síto), сев (sev), се́ять (séjatʹ)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: siftscreensortstrainsiftingstrainerfilterscreeningbasketmeshcolander

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