elect vs sift out

elect

adj
  • Chosen; taken by preference from among two or more. 

  • Who has been elected in a specified post, but has not yet entered office. 

verb
  • To choose or make a decision (to do something) 

  • To choose (a candidate) in an election 

noun
  • In Calvinist theology, one foreordained to Heaven. In other Christian theologies, someone chosen by God for salvation. 

  • One chosen or set apart. 

sift out

verb
  • To isolate or identify one particular thing from a collection that includes less relevant things. 

How often have the words elect and sift out occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )