*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sift

From Middle English syften, from Old English siftan, from Proto-West Germanic *siftijan.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To sieve or strain (something). · To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving. · To scrutinize (someone or something) carefully so as to find the truth. · [with through] To carefully go through a set of objects, or a collection of information, in order to find something.

noun

An act of sifting.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English syften, from Old English siftan, from Proto-West Germanic *siftijan.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "syften"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English syften"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "siftan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English siftan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*siftijan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *siftijan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "syften",
      "syften#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "siftan",
      "siftan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*siftijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/siftijan"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To sieve or strain (something).",
        "To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving.",
        "To scrutinize (someone or something) carefully so as to find the truth.",
        "[with through] To carefully go through a set of objects, or a collection of information, in order to find something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "archaic",
        "dated"
      ],
      "recordId": "8300d69fb8276db9ab4c4ae9598a899e187757098fc9a05c30fce217c9c1b0df",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 338698
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An act of sifting."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d235efe7b55d96fe4b1f2211a213d80bfe29143969bc5a41db7f910faccca614",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7ff0932f9672e5698dfd148b3d5be980985dada538c8a8c62b815ac0e6d88ec6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 338699
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for sift →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2lmdA