kernel, seed, particle, granule, morsel, speck, bit, crumb, fragment, nugget, pellet, grainlet, atom, molecule, iota, jot, mite, scintilla, smidgen, trace, modicum, whit, dash, pinch, hint, touch, sou... [more]
sift - separate - sort - filter - screen - refine - purify - cleanse - extract - isolate - distill - winnow out - fan - blow away - remove - eliminate - weed out - cull - pick out - select - choose - distinguish - discern - differentiate - segregate - divide - part - scatter - disperse - scatter to the winds - blow off - aerate - ventilate - air - dry - thresh - clean - clear - clarify - strain - sieve - riddle - bolt - winnow down - pare down - trim - reduce
To winnow means to separate the grain from the chaff, usually by means of wind or a current of air. The process involves throwing the harvested produce into the air so that the lighter chaff is blown away while the heavier grains fall back down for collection. This term can also metaphorically mean to remove unwanted elements from a group or selection, leaving only the best or most desirable parts.