sieve

[siv] noun, verb, sieved, siev·ing.
noun
1.
an instrument with a meshed or perforated bottom, used for separating coarse from fine parts of loose matter, for straining liquids, etc., especially one with a circular frame and fine meshes or perforations.
2.
a person who cannot keep a secret.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.
to put or force through a sieve; sift.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English sive, Old English sife; cognate with Dutch zeef, German Sieb; akin to sift

sieve·like, adjective
un·sieved, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Sieve is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sieve (sɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a device for separating lumps from powdered material, straining liquids, grading particles, etc, consisting of a container with a mesh or perforated bottom through which the material is shaken or poured
2.  rare a person who gossips and spreads secrets
3.  memory like a sieve, head like a sieve a very poor memory
 
vb (often foll by out)
4.  to pass or cause to pass through a sieve
5.  to separate or remove (lumps, materials, etc) by use of a sieve
 
[Old English sife; related to Old Norse sef reed with hollow stalk, Old High German sib sieve, Dutch zeef]
 
'sievelike
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sieve
O.E. sife "sieve," from P.Gmc. *sibi (cf. M.Du. seve, Du. zeef, O.H.G. sib, Ger. Sieb), of unknown origin. Related to sift. The verb is recorded from 1499. Sieve and shears formerly were used in divinations.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Line a large sieve with cheesecloth and set over a bowl.
Others filter seawater through a sieve or measure the location of floppy sea
  palms with a transit.
Recently, a molecular sieve, desiccant-based heat wheel technology has been
  developed that actually improves indoor air quality.
Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl.
Images for sieve
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