sifter

[ sif-ter ]

noun

1. a person or thing that sifts.
2. a kitchen implement for sifting:

   a flour sifter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sifter¹

First recorded in 1570–80; sift + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The sifter dumped flotsam—bricks, wiring, barbecue grills, bicycle wheels—in piles to be shipped to landfills upstate.

From The Daily Beast

To remove any foreign material from the flour and at the same time make it light, a flour sifter is required.

From Project Gutenberg

"A miner's a man who digs gold up and washes it in a cinder-sifter," explained Stanley.

From Project Gutenberg

"Dig up some sand, pard, and fling it into the cinder-sifter while I write out the caution in blue pencil," said Stanley.

From Project Gutenberg

In this formula the possible boy or girl is coaxed out by the promise of a bow or a meal-sifter to the one who can get it first.

From Project Gutenberg

Among the Cherokees it is common, in asking about the sex of a new arrival, to inquire, Is it a bow or a sifter?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• colander