Link Centre Dictionary

sieve

UK/sɪv/ US/ˈsɪv/ uncommon obsolete slang
noun (1) verb (4)

noun

1.

a strainer for separating lumps from powdered material or grading particles

Synonyms

verb

1.

examine in order to test suitability

  • “screen these samples”
  • “screen the job applicants”
Synonyms
2.

check and sort carefully

  • “sift the information”
Synonyms
3.

separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements

  • “sift the flour”
Synonyms
4.

distinguish and separate out

  • “sift through the job candidates”
Synonyms

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)).

Phrases

  • brain like a sieve
  • Brun sieve
  • cleaning sieve
  • head like a sieve
  • large sieve
  • larger sieve
  • leak like a sieve
  • memory like a sieve
  • sieve out

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.