Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SIEVE, n. [siv; Sax. sife, syfe; G. sieb; D. zeef, zift; the sifter. See Sift.]

An utensil for separating flour from bran, or the fine part of any pulverized or fine substance from the coarse, by the hand; as, a fine sieve; a coarse sieve. It consists of a hoop with a hair bottom, and performs in the family the service of a bolter in a mill.