sifting n : the act of separating grain from chaff; "the winnowing was done by women" [syn: winnow, winnowing]

English

Verb

sifting

1. present participle of sift

In general, a sieve separates wanted/desired elements from unwanted material using a tool such as a mesh, net or other filtration or distillation methods, but it is also used for classification of powders by particle size, or for size measurement as an analytical technique. The word "sift" derives from this term. A strainer is a type of sieve typically associated with separating liquids from solids.

Sieve may mean:

Cooking

• a colander, a (typically) bowl-shaped sieve used as a strainer in cooking
• a chinoise, or conical sieve used as a strainer, also sometimes used like a food mill
• a tamis, also known as a drum sieve
• a zaru, or bamboo sieve, used in Japanese cooking
• a flour sifter, used in baking
• a mesh strainer, or just "strainer," usually consisting of a fine metal mesh screen on a metal frame
• a tea strainer, specifically intended for use when making tea
• a cocktail strainer, a bar accessory

Chemistry

• in transport phenomena, see sieving coefficient
• in the mining industry, a mesh used to separate fine particles from coarse ones
• in particle-size analysis or particle size measurement multiple sieving is a procedure or technique

(see also: Filter)

Mathematics

• in sieve theory, a technique for counting or filtering sets of numbers
  • sieve of Eratosthenes
  • general number field sieve
  • large sieve
• a sieve (category theory), a way of writing down how objects in a category glue to give other one

Computer science

• Sieve (mail filtering language), a proposed standard for specifying mail filters
• Sieve C++ Parallel Programming System, an auto-parallelizing compiler for C++

Cryptography

• Sieve Test This test is used when generating a private key with OpenSSL. But in OpenSSL web site it is not explained why or how it is used. See http://www.openssl.org/docs/apps/genrsa.html

Other uses

• a stainless steel strainer, used in plumbing
• in metaphor and simile, sieve may often be used to refer to things that are leaky, as a sieve used for a bowl.
  • In particular, in hockey, a goaltender who lets a lot of goals through is sometimes compared to a sieve. (In college hockey students chant the word "sieve" at the opposite goalie)
  • In basketball, a player who is a poor defender is sometimes referred to as a "sieve."
• On rivers, a sieve or strainer is a dangerous obstacle that water can pass through, but people cannot. See Obstacle in whitewater canoing
• the Sieve, a river in Italy

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