Rice Definition: Staple Food Grain & Usage

Meaning 1：staple food grain (rice)

rice 🔊

/raɪs/

Small white or brown grains from a plant, cooked and eaten as a main food.

Close-up of fluffy white rice in a bowl with steam

staple food grain 🔊

➕

/ˈsteɪpəl fuːd ɡreɪn/

Small white or brown grains from a cereal plant (Oryza sativa), cooked and eaten as a primary carbohydrate source in many cuisines.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old French 'ris' < Latin 'oryza' < Greek 'oryza' < Asian source.

💡 Mnemonic

RICE = Really Important Cereal for Everyone – a staple that 'rises' on your plate.

📖 Example

The air in the kitchen was filled with the comforting smell of freshly cooked rice steaming in the electric cooker. 🔊 The air in the kitchen was filled with the comforting smell of freshly cooked rice steaming in the electric cooker.

🔗 Collocations

boiled rice – Rice cooked in boiling water until tender.

fried rice – A dish of cooked rice stir-fried with vegetables, egg, or meat.

rice paddy – A flooded field where rice is grown.

🔄 Synonyms

grain (n.) – A small, hard seed used as food, such as rice, wheat, or corn.

cereal (n.) – A grass cultivated for its edible grain, including rice, wheat, and oats.

staple (n.) – A basic or necessary food item, like rice in many diets.

🚫 Antonyms

meat (n.) – Animal flesh used as food, often contrasted with plant-based staples like rice.

bread (n.) – A staple food made from flour, often replacing rice in Western diets.

🌱 Derivatives

rice cake (n.) – A snack made from puffed or compressed rice.

ricer (n.) – A kitchen tool used to mash or rice potatoes and other foods.

📖 Cultural Story

Rice has been cultivated in Asia for over 10,000 years. It entered English via Old French 'ris' and Latin 'oryza', which came from Greek, ultimately tracing back to an ancient Asian language.