*glean*

n. Cleaning; afterbirth. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

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&unr_;u to clean, purify, or AS. gelm, gilm, a hand&unr_;ul. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

To glean the broken ears after the man
That the main harvest reaps. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To gather from (a field or vineyard) what is left. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To collect with patient and minute labor; to pick out; to obtain. [ 1913 Webster ]

Content to glean what we can from . . . experiments. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To gather stalks or ears of grain left by reapers. [ 1913 Webster ]

And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers. Ruth ii. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To pick up or gather anything by degrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

Piecemeal they this acre first, then that;
Glean on, and gather up the whole estate. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who gathers after reapers. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who gathers slowly with labor. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]