1570s, "one who sifts" in any sense of the verb, agent noun from sift (v.). By 1610s as "a utensil or apparatus for sifting."
Entries linking to sifter
sift v.
Middle English siften, from Old English siftan "pass or scatter (the finer parts of something) through a sieve," from Proto-Germanic *sib- (source also of Dutch ziften, Middle Low German sichten, German sichten "to sift;" see sieve (n.)).
The intransitive sense of "pass loosely or fall scatteredly" (of snow, light, etc.) is from 1590s, as is the meaning "clear or cleanse of impurities." The figurative or metaphoric sense of "look carefully through" is recorded by 1530s. Related: Sifted; sifting.