grain

grain in agriculture, term referring to the caryopsis, or dry fruit , of a cereal grass . The term is also applied to the seedlike fruits of buckwheat and of certain other plants and is used collectively for any plant that bears such fruits. The food content of the seeds (as they are commonly called) is mostly carbohydrate, but some protein, oil, and vitamins are also present. Grain, whole or ground into meal or flour, is the principal food of man and of domestic animals. The seeds of most grains grow in concentrated clusters that are gathered efficiently by modern mechanical harvesting machines (see combine ). Grain is easy to handle and, because of its low water content, can be stockpiled and stored for long periods, unlike other starch foods (e.g., the potato). Grains, both living and stored, are attacked by a variety of insect pests (e.g., the corn borer, locust, and grasshopper) and by smuts, rusts, blights, rots, and other diseases of plants . The principal grain crops, in order of total world output, are wheat , rice , Indian corn (or maize), oats , barley , and rye ; together, these grains occupy about half of all the land under crops. All the staple grains were domesticated in the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, and their cultivation was a powerful factor in drawing men into settled communities. Many religious beliefs and rites have been associated with grains; the cereals derive their name from Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain. Grain has been an article of commerce in nearly all civilizations.

Bibliography: See N. L. Kent, Technology of Cereals (1983); Y. Pomerantz, Modern Cereal Science and Technology (1987).

grain Fruits of various cereal plants, or the plants themselves. The main kinds of grain are wheat, maize, and rice. It is an important food, rich in carbohydrates and also containing proteins and vitamins.

grain / grān/ • n. 1. wheat or any other cultivated cereal crop used as food. ∎  the seeds of such cereals: [as adj.] grain exports. 2. a single fruit or seed of a cereal: a few grains of corn. ∎  a small hard particle of a substance such as salt or sand: a grain of salt. ∎  the smallest possible quantity or amount of a quality: there wasn't a grain of truth in what he said. ∎  a discrete particle or crystal in a metal, igneous rock, etc., typically visible only when a surface is magnified. ∎  a piece of solid propellant for use in a rocket engine. 3. (abbr.: gr.) the smallest unit of weight in the troy and avoirdupois systems, equal to ¹/₅₇₆₀ of a pound troy and ¹/₇₀₀₀ of a pound avoirdupois (approx. 0.0648 grams). 4. the longitudinal arrangement or pattern of fibers in wood, paper, etc.: he scored along the grain of the table with the knife. ∎  roughness in texture of wood, stone, etc.; the arrangement and size of constituent particles: the lighter, finer grain of the wood is attractive. ∎  the rough or textured outer surface of leather, or of a similar artificial material. ∎ Mining lamination or planes of cleavage in materials such as stone and coal. ∎ Photog. a granular appearance of a photograph or negative, which is in proportion to the size of the emulsion particles composing it. 5. archaic a person's character or natural tendency. 6. hist. kermes or cochineal, or dye made from either of these. • v. [tr.] 1. (usu. be grained) give a rough surface or texture to: her fingers were grained with chalk dust. ∎  [intr.] form into grains: if the sugar does grain up, add more water. 2. [usu. as n.] (graining) paint (esp. furniture or interior surfaces) in imitation of the grain of wood or marble: the art of graining and marbling. 3. remove hair from (a hide): [as adj.] (grained) the boots were of best grained leather. 4. feed (a horse) on grain. PHRASES: against the grain contrary to the natural inclination or feeling of someone or something: it goes against the grain to tell outright lies. in grain thorough, genuine, by nature, or downright; indelible. DERIVATIVES: grained adj. [usu. in comb.] coarse-grained sandstone. grain·er n. grain·less adj.