If you glean something such as information or knowledge, you learn or collect it slowly and patiently, and perhaps indirectly. At present we're gleaning information from all sources 10,000 pages of evidence were gleaned from hundreds and hundreds of interviews. = gather
[ 'glEn ] (verb.) 14th century. Middle English glenen, from Middle French glener, from Late Latin glennare, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish doglenn he selects.