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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Grain Meaning, Examples, and Common Uses (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：edible seed (grain)

grain 🔊

/ɡreɪn/

Small, hard seeds from plants like wheat or rice that we eat as food.

Close-up of golden wheat stalks and raw grains in a wooden bowl

edible seed 🔊

➕

/ˈɛdɪbəl siːd/

Small, hard seeds from plants like wheat or rice that we eat as food.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'granum' meaning seed or kernel, via Old French 'grain'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a grain of sand or a grain of wheat — both are tiny but essential.

📖 Example

For a healthier breakfast, try whole grain bread instead of white bread. 🔊 For a healthier breakfast, try whole grain bread instead of white bread.

🔗 Collocations

whole grain – grain that contains all parts of the seed

grain crop – a plant grown for its edible seeds

grain harvest – the act of gathering ripe grain from fields

🔄 Synonyms

cereal (n.) – a grass plant grown for its edible grain

kernel (n.) – the soft inner part of a seed or nut

seed (n.) – a small object produced by a plant from which a new plant can grow

🚫 Antonyms

refined grain (n.) – grain that has been processed to remove the bran and germ

🌱 Derivatives

grainy (adj.) – having a rough texture or consisting of grains

grainery (n.) – a place where grain is stored

grain-fed (adj.) – raised on a diet of grain (usually for livestock)

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'granum', grain entered English through Old French. In modern usage, it also refers to wood texture or tiny particles, reflecting the word's evolution from agricultural staples to broader descriptive applications.

Meaning 2：wood texture or tiny particle (grain)

grain 🔊

/ɡreɪn/

The lines or patterns on wood, or very small pieces of something like sand or salt.

Extreme close-up of wood grain pattern and fine sand particles

wood texture or tiny particle 🔊

➕

/wʊd ˈtɛkstʃər ɔːr ˈtaɪni ˈpɑːrtɪkl/

The lines or patterns on wood, or very small pieces of something like sand or salt.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I love the old wooden table because you can see the beautiful natural grain of the wood. 🔊 I love the old wooden table because you can see the beautiful natural grain of the wood.

🔗 Collocations

grain of wood – the natural pattern of lines in wood

grain of sand – a tiny piece of sand

against the grain – in a direction opposite to the natural grain (as in woodworking)

🔄 Synonyms

texture (n.) – the feel or appearance of a surface

pattern (n.) – a repeated decorative design or arrangement

particle (n.) – a very small piece of something

🚫 Antonyms

smoothness (n.) – the quality of having an even surface without roughness

🌱 Derivatives

grainy (adj.) – having a rough texture or visible particles

fine-grained (adj.) – having a fine or small grain texture

coarse-grained (adj.) – having a large or rough grain texture