Sift vs Cull - What's the difference?

As verbs the difference between sift and cull

is that sift is to sieve or strain (something) while cull is to pick or take someone or something (from a larger group).

As a noun cull is

a selection or cull can be (slang|dialectal) a fool, gullible person; a dupe.

sift

English

Verb

To sieve or strain (something).

To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving.

To examine (something) carefully.

* 1748 . David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 28.

But if we still carry on our sifting humour, and ask, What is the foundation of all conclusions from experience ? this implies a new question.

* {{quote-book

, year=1764 , author= , title= , pageurl=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/696/696-h/696-h.htm , page= , publisher=}}

It immediately occurred to him to sift her on the subject of Isabella and Theodore.

Derived terms

* sifter

Anagrams

* *

cull

English

(Culling)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Verb

(en verb)

To pick or take someone or something (from a larger group).

* 1984', cover star: JOE DALLESANDRO '''culled from Andy Warhol's FLESH — anonymous; ''sleeve notes from ' eponymous album

To gather, collect.

* Tennyson

whitest honey in fairy gardens culled

* 1977 , , Penguin Classics, p. 202:

Chaucer's prose Tale of Melibee is a dialectal homily of moral debate, exhibiting a learned store of ethical precept culled from many ancient authorities.

To select animals from a group and then kill them in order to reduce the numbers of the group in a controlled manner.

(nonstandard, euphemistic) To kill (animals etc).

To lay off in order to reduce the size of, get rid of.

Noun

(en noun)

A selection.

An organised killing of selected animals.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-12-21

, author=Isobel Montgomery , title=A year that showed the best and worst of Britain , volume=188, issue=2, page=31 , date=2012-12-18 , magazine= citation , passage=It seemed that the sun shone and all was right in our Blakean islands until the government began to set in motion its promised cull of badgers in an effort to control bovine TB. Salvation for brock came in the form of an online petition started by Queen guitarist Brian May, the rising costs of the programme and the weather.}}

A piece unfit for inclusion within a larger group; an inferior specimen.

Etymology 2

Perhaps an abbreviation of (cully).

Noun

(en noun)

(slang, dialectal) A fool, gullible person; a dupe.

* 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 307:

Follow but my counsel, and I will show you a way to empty the pocket of a queer cull without any danger of the nubbing cheat.

Synonyms

* See also ----