grain

[[t]greɪn[/t]]

n.

1) a small, hard seed, esp. the seed of a food plant such as wheat, corn, rye, oats, rice, or millet

2) the gathered seed of food plants, esp. of cereal plants

3) such plants collectively

4) any small, hard particle, as of sand, gold, pepper, or gunpowder

5) wam the smallest unit of weight in the U.S. and British systems, equal to 0.002285 ounce (0.0648 gram)

6) the smallest possible amount of anything:

a grain of truth[/ex]

7) fur the arrangement or direction of the fibers in wood, meat, etc., or the pattern resulting from this

8) clo

a) the side of leather from which the hair has been removed

b) the pattern or markings on this side

9) tex the direction of threads in a woven fabric

10) gel the lamination or cleavage of stone, coal, etc

11) mel any of the individual crystalline particles forming a metal

12) jew a unit of weight equal to 50 milligrams or ¼ carat, used for pearls and sometimes diamonds

13) the size of constituent particles of any substance; texture

14) a granular texture or appearance:

a stone of coarse grain[/ex]

15) a state of crystallization:

boiled to the grain[/ex]

16) temper or natural character:

two brothers of similar grain[/ex]

17) to form into grains; granulate

18) to give a granular appearance to

19) fur cvb to paint in imitation of the grain of wood, stone, etc

20) cvb to feed grain to (an animal)

21) clo

a) to remove the hair from (skins)

b) to soften and raise the grain of (leather)

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Etymology: 1250–1300; < OF grain < L grānum seed, grain; see corn I grain′er, n. grain′less, adj.