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grain
/ɡreɪn/
small hard seed of a cereal plant
She bought a bag of whole grain bread.
The bread is made from whole grains, not refined flour.
formal
A small hard seed of a cereal plant such as wheat or rice, used as food.
The farmer harvested a large grain yield this season.
The farmer collected a lot of grain from his crops.
Grain is often used to refer to wheat, rice, corn, or other similar crops.
Technology
technical
The smallest unit of measurement in photography, representing one pixel.
The image has a high grain resolution.
The image has a lot of detail because it has many small pixels.
In photography, grain refers to the visible texture of film or digital noise.
Engineering
technical
The direction or texture of wood fibers.
The carpenter followed the grain of the wood when cutting.
The carpenter cut along the natural lines of the wood fibers.
In woodworking, grain refers to the pattern of fibers in the wood.
Collocations
whole grainfood made from unprocessed grainsgrain of salta small amount of skepticismgrain of trutha small part of something that is true
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Common Usage
'Grain' is often used to refer to cereal crops like wheat, rice, or corn. It can also describe the texture of wood or the smallest unit in photography.
Gold Rule
Context Matters
The meaning of 'grain' depends on the context. In agriculture, it refers to seeds; in photography, it refers to texture; and in woodworking, it refers to the direction of fibers.
Word Origin
From Middle English 'greyn,' from Old English 'grēn,' meaning 'corn, grain,' from Proto-Germanic 'grōniz.'
Usage Notes
The word 'grain' can refer to the seeds of cereal plants or the texture of wood. In photography, it refers to the visible texture of film or digital noise.
Word Breakdown
grain
small hard seed
rootEnglish Dictionary