The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Sieve \Sieve\, n. [OE. sive, AS. sife; akin to D. zeef, zift,
   OHG. sib, G. sieb. [root]151a. Cf. Sift.]
   1. A utensil for separating the finer and coarser parts of a
      pulverized or granulated substance from each other. It
      consist of a vessel, usually shallow, with the bottom
      perforated, or made of hair, wire, or the like, woven in
      meshes. "In a sieve thrown and sifted." --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A kind of coarse basket. --Simmonds.
      [1913 Webster]

   Sieve cells (Bot.), cribriform cells. See under
      Cribriform.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

sieve
    n 1: a strainer for separating lumps from powdered material or
         grading particles [syn: sieve, screen]
    v 1: examine in order to test suitability; "screen these
         samples"; "screen the job applicants" [syn: screen,
         screen out, sieve, sort]
    2: check and sort carefully; "sift the information" [syn:
       sieve, sift]
    3: separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device
       to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour" [syn:
       sift, sieve, strain]
    4: distinguish and separate out; "sift through the job
       candidates" [syn: sieve, sift]