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Grain   /greɪn/   Listen
noun
Grain  n.  
1.
A single small hard seed; a kernel, especially of those plants, like wheat, whose seeds are used for food.
2.
The fruit of certain grasses which furnish the chief food of man, as corn, wheat, rye, oats, etc., or the plants themselves; used collectively. "Storehouses crammed with grain."
3.
Any small, hard particle, as of sand, sugar, salt, etc.; hence, any minute portion or particle; as, a grain of gunpowder, of pollen, of starch, of sense, of wit, etc. "I... with a grain of manhood well resolved."
4.
The unit of the English system of weights; so called because considered equal to the average of grains taken from the middle of the ears of wheat. 7,000 grains constitute the pound avoirdupois, and 5,760 grains the pound troy. A grain is equal to.0648 gram. See Gram.
5.
A reddish dye made from the coccus insect, or kermes; hence, a red color of any tint or hue, as crimson, scarlet, etc.; sometimes used by the poets as equivalent to Tyrian purple. "All in a robe of darkest grain." "Doing as the dyers do, who, having first dipped their silks in colors of less value, then give' them the last tincture of crimson in grain."
6.
The composite particles of any substance; that arrangement of the particles of any body which determines its comparative roughness or hardness; texture; as, marble, sugar, sandstone, etc., of fine grain. "Hard box, and linden of a softer grain."
7.
The direction, arrangement, or appearance of the fibers in wood, or of the strata in stone, slate, etc. "Knots, by the conflux of meeting sap, Infect the sound pine and divert his grain Tortive and errant from his course of growth."
8.
The fiber which forms the substance of wood or of any fibrous material.
9.
The hair side of a piece of leather, or the marking on that side.
10.
pl. The remains of grain, etc., after brewing or distillation; hence, any residuum. Also called draff.
11.
(Bot.) A rounded prominence on the back of a sepal, as in the common dock. See Grained, a., 4.
12.
Temper; natural disposition; inclination. (Obs.) "Brothers... not united in grain."
13.
A sort of spice, the grain of paradise. (Obs.) "He cheweth grain and licorice, To smellen sweet."
Against the grain, against or across the direction of the fibers; hence, against one's wishes or tastes; unwillingly; unpleasantly; reluctantly; with difficulty.
A grain of allowance, a slight indulgence or latitude a small allowance.
Grain binder, an attachment to a harvester for binding the grain into sheaves.
Grain colors, dyes made from the coccus or kermes insect.
Grain leather.
(a)
Dressed horse hides.
(b)
Goat, seal, and other skins blacked on the grain side for women's shoes, etc.
Grain moth (Zool.), one of several small moths, of the family Tineidae (as Tinea granella and Butalis cerealella), whose larvae devour grain in storehouses.
Grain side (Leather), the side of a skin or hide from which the hair has been removed; opposed to flesh side.
Grains of paradise, the seeds of a species of amomum.
grain tin, crystalline tin ore metallic tin smelted with charcoal.
Grain weevil (Zool.), a small red weevil (Sitophilus granarius), which destroys stored wheat and other grain, by eating out the interior.
Grain worm (Zool.), the larva of the grain moth. See grain moth, above.
In grain, of a fast color; deeply seated; fixed; innate; genuine. "Anguish in grain."
To dye in grain, to dye of a fast color by means of the coccus or kermes grain (see Grain, n., 5); hence, to dye firmly; also, to dye in the wool, or in the raw material. See under Dye. "The red roses flush up in her cheeks... Likce crimson dyed in grain."
To go against the grain of (a person), to be repugnant to; to vex, irritate, mortify, or trouble.


Grain  n.  
1.
A branch of a tree; a stalk or stem of a plant. (Obs.)
2.
A tine, prong, or fork. Specifically:
(a)
One the branches of a valley or of a river.
(b)
pl. An iron fish spear or harpoon, having four or more barbed points.
3.
A blade of a sword, knife, etc.
4.
(Founding) A thin piece of metal, used in a mold to steady a core.


verb
Grain  v. t.  (past & past part. grained; pres. part. graining)  
1.
To paint in imitation of the grain of wood, marble, etc.
2.
To form (powder, sugar, etc.) into grains.
3.
To take the hair off (skins); to soften and raise the grain of (leather, etc.).


Grain  v. i.  
1.
To yield fruit. (Obs.)
2.
To form grains, or to assume a granular form, as the result of crystallization; to granulate.


Grain  v., n.  See Groan. (Obs.)





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Grain" Quotes from Famous Books



... finely—also my strawberry bed. The prospect for peaches, cherries, plums, apples, and pears is very promising—Indeed all nature is clothed in her most hopeful dress. It really seems to me that the trees and the grass and the large fields of waving grain did never look so beautifully as now. It is more probable, however, that my soul has grown to appreciate Nature ...
— Susan B. Anthony - Rebel, Crusader, Humanitarian • Alma Lutz
... afterward married. Indeed, Kate formed his acquaintance while visiting at this lady's home in New York. He was a fascinating, handsome man, of a visionary turn, and with extravagant tastes,—but without a grain of ...
— Donald and Dorothy • Mary Mapes Dodge
... "And all the nice-weigh'd herbs inspects with care. "When us she spy'd, and salutations pass'd "Mutual; her forehead brighten'd, and she gave "Our every wish. Nor waited more, but bade "The beverage of the roasted grain be mix'd; "And added honey, all the strength of wine, "And curdy milk, and juices, which beneath "Such powerful sweetness undetected lay. "The cup from her accursed hand, I take, "And, soon as thirsty ...
— The Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidus Naso in English blank verse Vols. I & II • Ovid
... the summer eves, As the murmuring wind swept o'er it, bending low each tasselled head, 'Neath the soft and shimmering radiance by the moon of summer shed— There no plough will make its furrow—waste the sunny field doth lie, And no grain will wave its tresses to ...
— The Continental Monthly, Vol III, Issue VI, June, 1863 - Devoted to Literature and National Policy • Various
... across the miles of the saltbush plain That gleamed with the morning dew, Where the grasses waved like the ripening grain The pilot engine flew, A fiery rush in the open bush Where the grade marks seemed to fly, And the order sped on the wires ahead, The pilot MUST go by. The Governor's special must stand aside, And the fast ...
— The Man from Snowy River • Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson


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