[syn: thrash, thresh, lam, flail]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Thrash \Thrash\, Thresh \Thresh\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Thrashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Thrashing.] [OE.
[thorn]reschen, [thorn]reshen, to beat, AS. [thorn]erscan,
[thorn]rescan; akin to D. dorschen, OD. derschen, G.
dreschen, OHG. dreskan, Icel. [thorn]reskja, Sw. tr["o]ska,
Dan. t[ae]rske, Goth. [thorn]riskan, Lith. traszketi to
rattle, Russ. treskate to burst, crackle, tresk' a crash,
OSlav. troska a stroke of lighting. Cf. Thresh.]
1. To beat out grain from, as straw or husks; to beat the
straw or husk of (grain) with a flail; to beat off, as the
kernels of grain; as, to thrash wheat, rye, or oats; to
thrash over the old straw.
[1913 Webster]
The wheat was reaped, thrashed, and winnowed by
machines. --H. Spencer.
[1913 Webster]
2. To beat soundly, as with a stick or whip; to drub.
[1913 Webster] Thrash
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Thrash \Thrash\, Thresh \Thresh\, v. t.
1. To practice thrashing grain or the like; to perform the
business of beating grain from straw; as, a man who
thrashes well.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence, to labor; to toil; also, to move violently.
[1913 Webster]
I rather would be Maevius, thrash for rhymes,
Like his, the scorn and scandal of the times.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Thresh \Thresh\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Threshed; p. pr. &
vb. n. Threshing.]
Same as Thrash.
[1913 Webster]
He would thresh, and thereto dike and delve. --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
thresh
v 1: move or stir about violently; "The feverish patient
thrashed around in his bed" [syn: convulse, thresh,
thresh about, thrash, thrash about, slash, toss,
jactitate]
2: move like a flail; thresh about; "Her arms were flailing"
[syn: flail, thresh]
3: beat the seeds out of a grain [syn: thrash, thresh]
4: give a thrashing to; beat hard [syn: thrash, thresh,
lam, flail]