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   Fil·ter

   /ˈfiltər/

   

   noun

   • 1. a porous device for removing impurities or solid particles from a liquid or gas passed through it: "an oil filter"
   • ▪ short for filter tip
   • ▪ a screen, plate, or layer of a substance which absorbs light or other radiation or selectively absorbs some of its components: "filters can be used in photography to reduce haze"
   • ▪ a device for suppressing electrical or sound waves of frequencies not required.
   • ▪ (in image-editing software) a function used to alter the overall appearance of an image in a specific manner: "many other apps also offer filters for enhancing photos"
   • ▪ a piece of software that processes text, for example to remove unwanted spaces or to format it for use in another application.
   • 2. an arrangement whereby vehicles may turn left (or right) while other traffic waiting to go straight ahead or turn right (or left) is stopped by a red light: British "a filter lane"

   verb

   • 1. pass (a liquid, gas, light, or sound) through a device to remove unwanted material: "the patient is hooked up to a dialysis machine twice a week to filter out the cholesterol in the blood" Similar sievestrainsiftfiltrateriddleclarifypurifyclearcleanmake purerefinetreatprocessdecontaminate
   • ▪ process or assess (items) in order to reject those that are unwanted: "you'll be put through to a secretary whose job it is to filter calls"
   • ▪ process or treat with a filter.
   • ▪ move slowly or in small quantities or numbers through something or in a specified direction: "people filtered out of the concert during the last set" Similar seeppercolateleaktrickleoozedribblebleedflowdrainwellexudeescapeleach
   • ▪ (of information) gradually become known: "the news began to filter in from the hospital"

   Word Origin late Middle English (denoting a piece of felt): from French filtre, from medieval Latin filtrum ‘felt used as a filter’, of West Germanic origin and related to felt1.

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • F

     4

   • I

     1

   • L

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

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   • R

     1

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