scan vs sift

scan

verb
  • To inspect, analyse or go over, often to find something. 

  • To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely. 

  • To read with an electronic device. 

  • To look about for; to look over quickly. 

  • To conform to a metrical structure. 

  • To perform lexical analysis; to tokenize. 

  • To read or mark so as to show a specific metre. 

  • To create an image of something with the use of a scanner. 

noun
  • Close investigation. 

  • An instance of scanning. 

  • The result or output of a scanning process. 

sift

verb
  • [+object] (archaic or old-fashioned) To scrutinise (someone or something) carefully so as to find the truth. 

  • To sieve or strain (something). 

  • To separate or scatter (things) as if by sieving. 

  • [+ through (object)] To carefully go through a set of objects, or a collection of information, in order to find something. 

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