beldar

To winnow grain — toss it into the air with a bieldo (winnowing fork) so the wind separates the grain from the chaff: beldar el trigo en la era. A traditional farming term, a variant of the more common bieldar, now mostly found in rural or historical contexts.

• Los campesinos beldaban el trigo al viento. — The farmers winnowed the wheat in the wind.
• Antiguamente se beldaba el grano a mano. — In the old days, grain was winnowed by hand.
• Esperaban un día con viento para beldar la cosecha. — They waited for a windy day to winnow the harvest.

A specific pre-mechanized farming technique, not a general word for "to clean" or "to separate" — a learner won't need this outside descriptions of traditional agriculture.

Often confused with bieldar.