cull

Dictionary

cull |kəl|

verb [ trans. ]

(usu. be culled) select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources : anecdotes culled from Greek and Roman history. • reduce the population of (a wild animal) by selective slaughter : he sees culling deer as a necessity | [as n. ] ( culling) kangaroo culling. • send (an inferior or surplus animal on a farm) to be slaughtered. • poetic/literary pick (flowers or fruit) : [as adj. ] ( culled) fresh culled daffodils. noun a selective slaughter of wild animals. • [usu. as adj. ] an inferior or surplus livestock animal selected for killing : a cull cow. DERIVATIVES culler noun ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French coillier, based on Latin colligere (see collect 1 ).

Thesaurus

cull

verb

1 anecdotes culled from Greek history select, choose, pick, take, obtain, glean.

2 he sees culling deer as a necessity kill, slaughter, destroy, harvest.