noun
bran
BRAN
noun
1
The tough outer layer of a cereal grain (wheat, rye, oats, etc.), sifted out from the flour and often eaten separately for its fibre.
"She sprinkled bran over her cereal every morning for extra fibre."
"The mill separates the bran from the white flour during processing."
How to Use Bran
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe coarse, fibrous husk left over when grain is milled into flour.
Common pairings
wheat bran
oat bran
bran flakes
high in bran
Word Forms
branned past tense, brans plural, brans plural, Brans plural, brans singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “bran”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She sprinkled _____ over her cereal every morning for extra fibre.
Etymology
From Old French bran, ultimately from a Gaulish word for "rotten" — an odd origin for something now marketed as a health food.