Strainer

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈstɹeɪnɚ/

Definitions

1. A kitchen tool used for separating solids from liquids
2. A device used in cooking to let liquids drain away while holding back solids
3. A utensil designed to separate any solid pieces from liquids during food preparation

Etymology: The tool's name is simply a working word: "strain" with the agent suffix "-er", meaning a thing that strains. In Middle English, the form was "strener" or "streynour", which grew from the verb "strain" that had come into English from Old French "estreindre", meaning to draw tight or squeeze. The idea at the heart of the word is pressure: to strain something is to force liquid through a barrier so that the solids stay behind. That is why a colander, a sieve, and a tea infuser all count as strainers in everyday use, even though they look nothing alike. The word describes what the tool does to a mixture rather than what it is made of, so the same name covers mesh, perforated metal, and fine cloth alike.

Synonyms: sieve, filter, colander