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sifting

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sift

  [sift]
Use sifting in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve: to sift sugar onto cake.
3. to separate by or as if by a sieve.
4. to examine closely: The detectives are still sifting the evidence.
5. to question closely.
–verb (used without object)
6. to sift something.
7. to pass or fall through or as if through a sieve.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME siften, OE siftan; c. D, MLG siften; akin to sieve

Synonyms:
4. sort, scrutinize, inspect, search, probe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Gericke Bulk Handling
Wide Range of High Quality Sifters 115 Years Industrial Experience
www.Gericke.net
Sifting at Amazon
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sift   (sĭft)   
v.   sift·ed, sift·ing, sifts

v.   tr.

  1. To put (flour, for example) through a sieve or other straining device in order to separate the fine from the coarse particles.

  2. To distinguish as if separating with a sieve: sifted the candidates for the job.

  3. To apply by scattering with or as if with a sieve: sift sugar on a dessert.

  4. To examine and sort carefully: sift the evidence.

v.   intr.

  1. To make use of a sieve.

  2. To pass through or as if through a sieve: a meal that sifts easily.

  3. To make a careful examination: sifted through back issues of the magazine.


[Middle English siften, from Old English siftan.]
sift'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sift 
O.E. siftan "pass something through a sieve," related to sife (see sieve). Cf. Du. ziften, M.L.G. sichten, Ger. sichten "to sift." Metaphoric sense of "look carefully through" first recorded 1535.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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