glaner
to glean, to gather bit by bit
verb glah-NEH Rare
Origin: Late Latin glenare, of Gaulish origin
Usage Note
Glaner originally meant to collect leftover grain after a harvest — a right legally protected in France until the 20th century. Today it is used figuratively to mean gathering scraps of information, ideas, or objects. Glanage is the related noun for gleaning; the iconic film Les Glaneurs et la Glaneuse by Agnès Varda brought the term renewed attention.
Examples
"Elle glanait des informations ici et là."
Natural Translation
She was gleaning information here and there.

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