Grain - Definition

n 1: a relatively small granular particle of a substance; "a
grain of sand"; "a grain of sugar"
2: foodstuff prepared from the starchy grains of cereal grasses
[syn: grain, food grain, cereal]
3: the side of leather from which the hair has been removed
4: a weight unit used for pearls or diamonds: 50 mg or 1/4 carat
[syn: grain, metric grain]
5: 1/60 dram; equals an avoirdupois grain or 64.799 milligrams
6: 1/7000 pound; equals a troy grain or 64.799 milligrams
7: dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g.
wheat, barley, Indian corn [syn: grain, caryopsis]
8: a cereal grass; "wheat is a grain that is grown in Kansas"
9: the smallest possible unit of anything; "there was a grain of
truth in what he said"; "he does not have a grain of sense"
10: the direction, texture, or pattern of fibers found in wood
or leather or stone or in a woven fabric; "saw the board
across the grain"
11: the physical composition of something (especially with
respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a
substance); "breadfruit has the same texture as bread";
"sand of a fine grain"; "fish with a delicate flavor and
texture"; "a stone of coarse grain" [syn: texture,
grain]
v 1: thoroughly work in; "His hands were grained with dirt"
[syn: ingrain, grain]
2: paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood
3: form into grains [syn: granulate, grain]
4: become granular [syn: granulate, grain]