GRAIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does grain mean? 

• GRAIN (noun)
  The noun GRAIN has 11 senses:

1. a relatively small granular particle of a substance

2. foodstuff prepared from the starchy grains of cereal grasses

3. the side of leather from which the hair has been removed

4. a weight unit used for pearls or diamonds: 50 mg or 1/4 carat

5. 1/60 dram; equals an avoirdupois grain or 64.799 milligrams

6. 1/7000 pound; equals a troy grain or 64.799 milligrams

7. dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn

8. a cereal grass

9. the smallest possible unit of anything

10. the direction, texture, or pattern of fibers found in wood or leather or stone or in a woven fabric

11. the physical composition of something (especially with respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a substance)

  Familiarity information: GRAIN used as a noun is familiar.

• GRAIN (verb)
  The verb GRAIN has 4 senses:

1. thoroughly work in

2. paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood

3. form into grains

4. become granular

  Familiarity information: GRAIN used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GRAIN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A relatively small granular particle of a substance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

a grain of sugar

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

atom; corpuscle; molecule; mote; particle; speck ((nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grain"):

granule (a tiny grain)

Derivation:

grain (become granular)

grain (form into grains)

grain (paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood)

grainy; granular (composed of or covered with particles resembling meal in texture or consistency)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Foodstuff prepared from the starchy grains of cereal grasses

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

cereal; food grain; grain

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

food product; foodstuff (a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grain"):

Indian rice; wild rice (grains of aquatic grass of North America)

malt (a cereal grain (usually barley) that is kiln-dried after having been germinated by soaking in water; used especially in brewing and distilling)

rice (grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished)

oat (seed of the annual grass Avena sativa (spoken of primarily in the plural as 'oats'))

wheat; wheat berry (grains of common wheat; sometimes cooked whole or cracked as cereal; usually ground into flour)

buckwheat (grain ground into flour)

barley; barleycorn (a grain of barley)

millet (small seed of any of various annual cereal grasses especially Setaria italica)

groats (the hulled and crushed grain of various cereals)

grist (grain intended to be or that has been ground)

corn; edible corn (ears of corn that can be prepared and served for human food)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The side of leather from which the hair has been removed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

leather (an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A weight unit used for pearls or diamonds: 50 mg or 1/4 carat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

grain; metric grain

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

metric weight unit; weight unit (a decimal unit of weight based on the gram)

Meronyms (parts of "grain"):

mg; milligram (one thousandth (1/1,000) gram)

Holonyms ("grain" is a part of...):

decigram; dg (1/10 gram)

Sense 5

Meaning:

1/60 dram; equals an avoirdupois grain or 64.799 milligrams

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

troy unit (any of the unit of the troy system of weights)

apothecaries' unit; apothecaries' weight (any weight unit used in pharmacy; an ounce is equal to 480 grains and a pound is equal to 12 ounces)

Holonyms ("grain" is a part of...):

scruple (a unit of apothecary weight equal to 20 grains)

pennyweight (a unit of apothecary weight equal to 24 grains)

Sense 6

Meaning:

1/7000 pound; equals a troy grain or 64.799 milligrams

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

avoirdupois unit (any of the units of the avoirdupois system of weights)

Holonyms ("grain" is a part of...):

dram (1/16 ounce or 1.771 grams)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

caryopsis; grain

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

seed (a small hard fruit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grain"):

amaranth (seed of amaranth plants used as a native cereal in Central and South America)

barleycorn (a grain of barley)

wheat berry (a grain of wheat)

kernel (a single whole grain of a cereal)

rye (the seed of the cereal grass)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A cereal grass

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Context example:

wheat is a grain that is grown in Kansas

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

cereal; cereal grass (grass whose starchy grains are used as food: wheat; rice; rye; oats; maize; buckwheat; millet)

Sense 9

Meaning:

The smallest possible unit of anything

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

he does not have a grain of sense

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

littleness; smallness (the property of having a relatively small size)

Sense 10

Meaning:

The direction, texture, or pattern of fibers found in wood or leather or stone or in a woven fabric

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

saw the board across the grain

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

texture (the characteristic appearance of a surface having a tactile quality)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grain"):

graining; woodgraining (a texture like that of wood)

wood grain; woodgrain; woodiness (texture produced by the fibers in wood)

Derivation:

grain (paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The physical composition of something (especially with respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a substance)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

grain; texture

Context example:

a stone of coarse grain

Hypernyms ("grain" is a kind of...):

composition; constitution; make-up; makeup; physical composition (the way in which someone or something is composed)

• GRAIN (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Thoroughly work in

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

grain; ingrain

Context example:

His hands were grained with dirt

Hypernyms (to "grain" is one way to...):

penetrate; perforate (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "grain" is one way to...):

paint (apply paint to; coat with paint)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

grain (the direction, texture, or pattern of fibers found in wood or leather or stone or in a woven fabric)

grain (a relatively small granular particle of a substance)

graining (a texture like that of wood)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Form into grains

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

grain; granulate

Hypernyms (to "grain" is one way to...):

form (assume a form or shape)

Cause:

grain; granulate (become granular)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

grain (a relatively small granular particle of a substance)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Become granular

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

grain; granulate

Hypernyms (to "grain" is one way to...):

change form; change shape; deform (assume a different shape or form)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

grain (a relatively small granular particle of a substance)

 Context examples 

One milligram equals approximately 0.015432 grain or 35.274 x 10E-6 ounce.

(Milligram, NCI Thesaurus)

Their composition, whether of atoms, molecules, grains or cells, do not lie in a neat, orderly pattern, but, instead, are all jumbled up.

(Materials, like metallic glass, can help us understand how cells break, NSF)

Complex carbohydrates include whole grain breads and cereals, starchy vegetables and legumes.

(Carbohydrates, NIH)

N. dassonvillei is found in the environment including mildewed grain and in is pathogenic in humans, though cases are rare.

(Nocardia dassonvillei, NCI Thesaurus)

A new study found that millions of people have been dying around the world as a result of poor diets, and taking too much salt and not enough whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

(Poor Diet Kills More People Than Smoking, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Not eating enough nuts and seeds (8.5%), seafood omega-3 fats (7.8%), vegetables (7.6%), fruits (7.5%), whole grains (5.9%), or polyunsaturated fats (2.3%) also increased risk of death compared with people who had an optimal intake of these foods/nutrients.

(How dietary factors influence disease risk, NIH)

PABA is found in grains and foods from animals.

(PABA, NCI Dictionary)

Blown into space with the rising plume emitted through those fractures, the ice grains were then analyzed by Cassini's CDA.

(New Organic Compounds Found in Enceladus Ice Grains, NASA)

A solid in the shape of a small particle or grain designed to release active and/or inert ingredient(s) at a controlled, prolonged rate so as to reduce dosing frequency.

(Extended Release Granule Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

Good sources of dietary fiber include: • Whole grains • Nuts and seeds • Fruit and vegetables

(Dietary Fiber, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)