Glean

Glean \ˈglēn\

intransitive verb
1: to gather grain or other produce left by reapers
2: to gather information or material bit by bit

transitive verb

1a : to pick up after a reaper b : to strip (as a field) of the leavings of reapers

2a : to gather (as information) bit by bit b : to pick over in search of relevant material <gleaning old files for information>

During my Bible Study class last night, the teacher told the Greek word and meaning for a very common word in scripture (I believe it was favor), and I was surprised at the rich and meaningful definition of the Greek word, as opposed to the word used in my translation. I said, "Wow, I didn't glean that from my reading."

 

This made me think of the word glean. It's a word that is commonly known, but not commonly used. Why not? You hear often, "I didn't get that from the passage," or "I didn't understand that from the passage."

 

To use the word glean here is so much more encompassing and active than the above examples. It's use implies that the person was trying to understand the text, trying to lean, and trying to get more information. There is in innate feeling of difficulty in the word, as if there is a struggle or, at the very least, work done to get to this knowledge. Otherwise, the reader is passive, waiting for information to be handed or given to him.

 

The fact that glean originates from an extinct Celtic language is enticing enough for me to use it more often. It has certainly stood the test of time! Try to incorporate the word glean into your vocabulary and enrich your communication.