Riddings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The fine particles that fall through a sieve when coal, ash or similar material is sifted
2. Small fragments and dust separated out from coal or ash by passing them through a mesh screen
3. The fine residue collected after coal, cinders or ash have been sieved to remove larger lumps

Etymology: "Riddings" is the plural of "ridding", and the plural is the more interesting thing to explain here. The noun "ridding" traces back to Old English "hryding", which meant a clearing or a patch of cleared land. It was formed from the verb "rid" with the suffix "-ing", so the original sense was literally a place where the woods had been cleared away. The idea of "rid" as clearing was the root of the word's meaning. In Middle English the form appeared as "riddyng", "reddyng" and "rudyng", all spelling variants of the same clearing. Over the centuries the plural "riddings" came to be used for these cleared patches, and the word stayed rooted in the physical act of making land open and free of obstruction.

Synonyms: clearings, glades