from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Glean \Glean\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gleaned}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Gleaning}.] [OE. glenen, OF. glener, glaner, F. glaner, fr.
LL. glenare; cf. W. glan clean, glanh?u to clean, purify, or
AS. gelm, gilm, a hand?ul.]
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1. To gather after a reaper; to collect in scattered or
fragmentary parcels, as the grain left by a reaper, or
grapes left after the gathering.
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To glean the broken ears after the man
That the main harvest reaps. --Shak.
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2. To gather from (a field or vineyard) what is left.
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3. To collect with patient and minute labor; to pick out; to
obtain.
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Content to glean what we can from . . . experiments.
--Locke.
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