Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Glean?

\Glean\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gleaned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Gleaning}.] [OE. glenen, OF. glener, glaner, F. glaner, fr. LL. glenare; cf. W. glan clean, glanh?u to clean, purify, or AS. gelm, gilm, a hand?ul.] 1. To gather after a reaper; to collect in scattered or fragmentary parcels, as the grain left by a reaper, or grapes left after the gathering. To glean the broken ears after the man That the main harvest reaps. --Shak. 2. To gather from (a field or vineyard) what is left. 3. To collect with patient and minute labor; to pick out; to obtain. Content to glean what we can from . . . experiments. --Locke.
\Glean\, v. i. 1. To gather stalks or ears of grain left by reapers. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers. --Ruth ii. 3. 2. To pick up or gather anything by degrees. Piecemeal they this acre first, then that; Glean on, and gather up the whole estate. --Pope.
\Glean\, n. A collection made by gleaning. The gleans of yellow thyme distend his thighs. --Dryden.
\Glean\, n. Cleaning; afterbirth. [Obs.] --Holland.