Also 4 cole, 5–7 culle, 6–7 cul. [a. OF. cuillir and -er, later cueillir, in imperative cuille, coille, cueille, to collect, gather, take, select, etc. = Pr. coillir, cuelhir, culhir, Cat. cullir, Sp. coger, Pg. colher, It. cogliere:—L. colligĕre, pres. indic. colligo, which became subsequently colgo, coglio, and was conjugated in different parts of the Romanic domain with -ĕre (It.), -ēre (Sp. and Pg.), -īre (Pr. and F.), -āre (F.). The word was frequent in ME. in the form coil (see COIL v.1, and cf. COIL v.3) for the OF. form coillir; cull appears in the 15th c., and may represent the F. stem cuell-, cueill-: cf. ME. puple for F. pueple, peuple. Cf. also ME. CUYL, to collect.]
1. trans. To choose from a number or quantity; to select, pick. Now most frequently used of making a literary selection. Cull out: to pick out, select (arch.).
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 2731. Sex hundred of hyse he colede out, Þat proued were, hardy & stout.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 107. Cullyn’ owte, segrego, lego, separo.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 239. The auctours so rawe, and so ferre to culle.
1566. Painter, Pal. Pleas., I. Pref. 9. Certaine have I culled out of the Decamerone of … Boccaccio.
a. 1591. H. Smith, Serm. (1622), 338. To cull out of all the people, those which had best courage.
1669. Worlidge, Syst. Agric. (1681), 60. It is no small advantage to pick or cull out the best Seed.
1727. A. Hamilton, New Acc. E. Ind., I. viii. 82. This Villian was culled out to be sacrificed to the just Resentment of the People.
1807. Crabbe, Village, II. 159. Words aptly culled, and meanings well exprest.
1877. ‘H. A. Page,’ De Quincey, I. vi. 111. From various notes of later dates we cull the following.
2. To gather, pick, pluck (flowers, fruits, etc.).
1634. Milton, Comus, 255. The Sirens three Culling their potent herbs.
1743–6. Shenstone, Elegies, iv. Then Elegance Shall cull fresh flowrets for Ophelia’s tomb.
1840. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Leech of Folkest. (1877), 373. A sprig of mountain ash culled by moonlight.
1880. ‘Ouida,’ Moths, I. 12. The strawberries just culled.
fig. 1805. Wordsw., Prelude, XIII. 131. Where I could … cull Knowledge that step by step might lead me on.
3. transf. To subject to the process of selection; to select or gather the choice things or parts from.
1713. Steele, Guardian, No. 171, ¶ 3. I shall always pick and cull the Pantry for him.
1821. A. Fisher, Jrnl. Arct. Reg., 230. I thought that, by attempting to cull it [a subject] I might omit some circumstances that deserved to be mentioned.
1881. Gard. Chron., No. 417. 823/2. The ground is culled at intervals of three, four, or five years.
