Glean

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɡliːn/

Definitions

1. To gather information or material bit by bit from various sources, often with effort
2. To collect small amounts of information or material from different places over time
3. To slowly gather pieces of data or items from various origins by careful effort

Etymology: The most striking thing about "glean" is its link to the harvest field. In medieval France, gleaning was a legal right: the poor were allowed to walk behind the reapers and collect the stray heads of grain left on the ground. The Old French noun "glene" meant both the act of gleaning and the right to do it, and English borrowed that sense through Middle English "glene," meaning a collection of grain heads gathered this way. The verb came into English in Late Middle English as "glenen," meaning to gather grain left by reapers, and more loosely to collect things together. It descends from Old French "glener" and "glainer," which trace back to Late Latin "glennare," a word meaning to make a collection. Its ultimate origin is uncertain. It may come from a Gaulish word related to Proto-Celtic "glanos," meaning clean or clear, and so ultimately from an ancient root meaning to shine.

Synonyms: collect, gather, extract, obtain, derive

Antonyms: disperse, scatter, lose, ignore, forfeit