zarandear

Senses

1. 1.

   to shake; to jolt

   to move something roughly back and forth or up and down with force

2. 2.

   to sieve; to sift

   to pass grain or fine material through a zarandilla (sieve) to separate particles

3. 3.

   to push around; to jostle

   to move someone or something about roughly or without care

Examples

• "El conductor frenó bruscamente y nos zarandeó a todos en el autobús."

  The driver braked suddenly and shook us all around on the bus.

• "Zarandearon el trigo para separar la paja del grano."

  They sieved the wheat to separate the chaff from the grain.

• "No me zarandees, que me duele la cabeza."

  Don't jolt me around; my head hurts.

Usage

Common in physical contexts involving rough movement or agricultural processes. Often reflexive (zarandearse = to be shaken about; to get tossed around). The noun zarandilla refers to a sieve traditionally used in grain processing.