Pronunciation: \ˈsiv\ Function: noun Etymology:Middle English sive, from Old English sife; akin to Old High German sib sieve Date: before 12th century : a device with meshes or perforations through which finer particles of a mixture (as of ashes, flour, or sand) of various sizes may be passed to separate them from coarser ones, through which the liquid may be drained from liquid-containing material, or through which soft materials may be forced for reduction to fine particles
In general, a sieve separates wanted/desired elements from unwanted material using a tool such as a mesh, net or other filtration or distillation methods, but it is also used for classification of powders by particle size, or for size measurement as an analytical technique. The word "sift" derives from this term. A strainer is a type of sieve typically associated with separating liquids from solids.
The Sieve is a river in Italy. It is a tributary of the Arno River, into which it flows at Pontassieve after a course of 62 km. The Sieve rises in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, near the Futa Pass, at 930 m of elevation. The territory in which it flows is known in Italian as Valdisieve. In Italian language, the name "Sieve" is feminine, and is therefore referred to as La Sieve.