verb

riddle

To separate material through a coarse screen.

He riddles the soil through a coarse screen.

Etymology

Old English hriddel means a sieve. The verb directly names using that coarse screen to separate larger pieces from smaller material.

More examples

  • The gardener riddled out stones before filling the pots.
  • Riddle the compost to remove large pieces.
  • They riddled the ash through a mesh tray.

Forms

riddle · riddles · riddled · riddling

Similar words

sift
The more usual verb for passing material through a screen.
screen
Separate according to size with a mesh or barrier.