There are four types among those who sit before the sages: the sponge, the funnel, the strainer and the sieve. ~ Pirkei Avot

A mesh strainer, also known as sift, commonly known as sieve, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for characterizing the particle size distribution of a sample, typically using a woven screen such as a mesh or net or metal. The word "sift" derives from "sieve". In cooking, a sifter is used to separate and break up clumps in dry ingredients such as flour, as well as to aerate and combine them. A strainer is a form of sieve used to separate solids from liquid.

Quotes

• There are four types among those who sit before the sages: the sponge, the funnel, the strainer and the sieve. [...] The sieve rejects the coarse flour and retains the fine flour.
  • Pirkei Avot 5:15

• If the sieve is not shaken, his flour will not drop from it.
  • Sumerian proverb, Collection III at The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, 3rd millennium BCE.

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Sieve at Wikipedia
• Media related to Sieves at Wikimedia Commons
• The dictionary definition of sieve at Wiktionary