noun
grain
grayn
noun
1
The edible seeds of cereal crops such as wheat, corn, rice, or barley, or the crops that produce them.
"Farmers hauled in the year's grain harvest before the storm hit."
"This bread is made with whole grains."
2
A single small hard particle, such as a grain of sand or salt.
"A grain of sand got stuck in her shoe."
3
The natural pattern of lines or texture in wood, stone, or other materials.
"He sanded the table along the grain of the wood."
4
A very small unit of weight, historically based on the weight of a grain of wheat.
"Gunpowder charges are sometimes still measured in grains."
How to Use Grain
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA seed of a cereal crop, a tiny particle of something, or the texture pattern in wood and similar materials.
Common mistake
"Against the grain" is a common idiom meaning to go against the natural or expected direction of something.
Common pairings
whole grain
grain of sand
against the grain
grain of truth
Word Forms
grained past tense, grains plural, grains plural, grains singular
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Farmers hauled in the year's _____ harvest before the storm hit.
Etymology
From Old French grain, from Latin granum ("seed"), the same root behind "corn" and "granule."