Sieve

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. The word "sift" derives from this term. A strainer is a type of sieve typically associated with separating liquids from solids.

Sieve may mean:

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Cooking

• a colander, a (typically) bowl-shaped sieve used as a strainer in cooking
• a chinoise, or conical sieve used as a strainer, also sometimes used like a food mill.
• a tamis, also known as a drum sieve
• a zaru, or bamboo sieve, used in Japanese cooking
• a flour sifter, used in baking
• a cocktail strainer, a bar accessory

Chemistry

• in transport phenomena, see sieving coefficient
• in the mining industry, a mesh used to separate fine particles from coarse ones

(see also: Filter)

Mathematics

• in sieve theory, a technique for counting or filtering sets of numbers
  • sieve of Eratosthenes
  • general number field sieve
  • large sieve
• a sieve (category theory), a way of writing down how objects in a category glue to give other one

Computer science

• Sieve (mail filtering language), a proposed standard for specifying mail filters
• Sieve C++ Parallel Programming System, an auto-parallelizing compiler for C++

Other uses

• a stainless steel strainer, used in plumbing
• in metaphor and simile, sieve may often be used to refer to things that are leaky, as a sieve used for a bowl.
  • In particular, in hockey, a goaltender who lets a lot of goals through is sometimes compared to a sieve. (In college hockey students chant the word "sieve" at the opposite goalie)
  • In basketball, a player who is a poor defender is sometimes referred to as a "sieve."
• On rivers, a sieve or strainer is a dangerous obstacle that water can pass through, but people cannot. See Obstacle in whitewater canoing
• the Sieve, a river in Italy