gleanings
A researcher carefully organizes her gleanings from various books and articles.
Definition
- Noun (plural only):
- Scattered remains or leftovers: "gleanings" refers to small amounts of something that have been collected bit by bit, especially after the main part has been used or harvested. Originally used for grain left in a field after the main harvest.
- Fragments of knowledge or information: "gleanings" also means pieces of information or facts gathered gradually from various sources, often through patient effort.
Usage Examples
- (The leftover grain pieces collected after the main crop was gathered.)
- (Fragments of knowledge carefully gathered from old texts.)
- (Bits of information she had learned from attending the event.)
Advanced Usage
"Gleanings of wisdom": small pieces of wisdom or insight collected over time.
- The elderly scholar offered his gleanings of wisdom to the young students. (His accumulated bits of knowledge.)
"Literary gleanings": small fragments of literature or writing that have been collected.
- The anthology contains literary gleanings from unpublished poets. (Short, selected pieces of writing.)
Variants and Related Words
Glean (verb): to collect gradually, bit by bit, especially information or leftover crops.
- He managed to glean some useful facts from the old report. (He gathered small pieces of information.)
Gleaner (noun): a person who collects gleanings, especially in a field or from various sources.
- The gleaners worked through the stubble to find leftover grain. (People who gather leftover crops.)
Synonyms
- Leftovers: remaining parts after the main portion has been taken.
- Scraps: small, broken pieces or fragments.
- Fragments: small, incomplete parts of something.
- Pickings: things that are available to be taken or collected.
Related Idioms
"The gleanings of the harvest": the small remnants left after a major effort or event.
- After the successful fundraiser, the gleanings of the harvest were donated to charity. (The leftover proceeds or contributions.)
"Gleanings from the past": bits of historical information or memory collected over time.
- The historian’s work is full of gleanings from the past. (Small pieces of historical knowledge.)