Gleaner

A gleaner is a person, typically a poor peasant or agricultural worker, who gathers leftover crops from fields after the main harvest, often in order to survive. This practice historically involved gathering scattered grains, fruits, or vegetables that were missed or deliberately left behind by the primary harvesters. The term can also be used more broadly to describe anyone who collects information, knowledge, or resources from various sources, implying careful selection and utilization of what is found. This implies resourcefulness, a need for survival, and often a humble social standing. The act of gleaning has deep roots in agricultural history and carries cultural and economic significance.

Gleaner meaning with examples

• After the wheat harvest, the impoverished family became gleaners, scouring the fields for stray kernels to grind into flour and make their daily bread. This arduous work was essential to surviving the harsh winter. The family's survival depended upon their ability to find the missed crops in an efficient manner.
• The journalist, a skilled gleaner of information, spent weeks sifting through archives and conducting interviews to uncover the truth about the corporation's unethical practices. His dedication exposed wrongdoing.
• The art historian saw himself as a gleaner, collecting fragmented pieces of information, piecing together lost narratives and forgotten masterpieces from historical texts and obscure records to understand the artists.
• In the aftermath of the market collapse, many unemployed workers became gleaners, gathering discarded food from grocery stores to feed themselves and their families, illustrating the consequences of economic crisis.