grain

1. 1

   The harvested seeds of various grass food crops, especially wheat, maize, rye, barley, and rice.uncountable

   • Near-synonym: corn (broad sense, maize and others)
   • We stored a thousand tons of grain for the winter.
2. 2

   Similar seeds from any food crop, e.g., buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa.uncountable

   • Near-synonym: corn (broad sense, maize and others)
3. 3

   A single seed of a food crop, especially a cereal grass crop.countable

   • a grain of wheat
   • grains of oat
4. 4

   The crops from which grain is harvested.countableuncountable

   • The fields were planted with grain.
5. 5

   A linear texture of a material or surface.uncountable

   • Cut along the grain of the wood.
   • He doesn't like to shave against the grain.
6. 6

   A single particle of a substance.countable

   • a grain of sand
   • a grain of salt
7. 7

   Any of various small units of mass originally notionally based on grain's weight, variously standardized at different places and times, including:; The English grain of ¹⁄₅₇₆₀ troy pound or ¹⁄₇₀₀₀ pound avoirdupois, now exactly 64.79891 mg.countableuncountable

8. 8

   Any of various small units of mass originally notionally based on grain's weight, variously standardized at different places and times, including:; The metric, carat, or pearl grain of ¹⁄₄ carat used for measuring precious stones and pearls, now exactly 50 mg.countableuncountable

9. 9

   Any of various small units of mass originally notionally based on grain's weight, variously standardized at different places and times, including:; The French grain of ¹⁄₉₂₁₆ livre, equivalent to 53.11 mg at metricization and equal to exactly 54.25 mg from 1812–1839 as part of the mesures usuelles.countablehistoricaluncountable

10. 10

    Any of various small units of length originally notionally based on a grain's width, variously standardized at different places and times.countablehistorical

syn. grain

1. 1

   To feed grain to.transitive

   • He said that no man loved his horses, unless his own hands grained them. Every Christmas he gave them brimming measures.
2. 2

   To make granular; to form into grains.transitive

3. 3

   To form grains, or to assume a granular form, as the result of crystallization; to granulate.intransitive

4. 4

   To texture a surface in imitation of the grain of a substance such as wood.

5. 5

   To remove the hair or fat from a skin.

6. 6

   To soften leather.

7. 7

   To yield fruit.

1. 1

   A branch of a tree; a stalk or stem of a plant; an offshoot.

2. 2

   A tine, prong, or fork.; One of the branches of a valley or river.

3. 3

   A tine, prong, or fork.; An iron fish spear or harpoon, with a number of points half-barbed inwardly.

   • Served 5 lb of fish per man which was caught by striking with grains
4. 4

   A tine, prong, or fork.; A blade of a sword, knife, etc.

5. 5

   A tine, prong, or fork.; An arm of a cross.

6. 6

   A thin piece of metal, used in a mould to steady a core.

7. 7

   A branch or arm of a stream, inlet, or sea.dialectal

8. 8

   A fork in a river valley or ravine.dialectal

9. 9

   The branch of a family; clan.dialectal

10. 10

    The groin; crotch.dialectal

syn. grain