Syftynge

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for the process of passing fine material through a sieve to separate the finer particles from the coarser ones
2. Refers to the act of sieving or straining something so that its finer parts fall through and the coarser parts stay behind
3. The sieving of grain, flour or similar material to separate out the fine portion, an older form of the activity now called sifting

Etymology: "Syftynge" is a Middle English spelling of the present participle "sifting," the form of the verb "sift" used for the act of separating fine material from coarse. The verb descends from Old English "siftan," and it is usually linked to "sife," the Old English ancestor of "sieve," though the exact relationship between the two is only loosely established. The spelling reflects how Middle English writers recorded sounds that have since shifted, with "y" standing for a vowel that later became "i."