[ Glean ]

Every so often I come across a word that I’m sure I know the meaning of, but actually maybe not quite.

Glean is one of those words.  I was asked, ‘what did you glean from that resource?’, and I thought, weird word, then answered with what I had ‘gotten’ or ‘surmised’ from it.   

It does mean “obtain information”, though it originated from gathering grain after the harvest.  

But also now: ‘….obtain from various sources, often with difficulty’. 

And it’s true:  sometimes we have to – and should - go to various sources, and also overcome difficulty, to glean the needed information.