Word
grain
US/ˈɡɹeɪn/
UK/ɡɹˈeɪn/
Definitions
01food seeds
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the small, hard seeds of food plants like wheat, rice, or corn.
n. the harvested seeds of various cereal grasses or food crops, such as wheat, maize, or barley, considered collectively.
日本語:穀物、粒※
“The farmers stored the grain in large buildings to keep it dry for winter.”
“Global markets fluctuated wildly as reports emerged of a significant decrease in the annual grain harvest due to the prolonged drought.”
02a tiny particle
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a single, very small piece of a substance like sand, salt, or sugar.
n. a single small, hard particle of a substance; the smallest unit of a bulk material.
日本語:粒※
“I think I have a grain of sand in my eye from the beach.”
“The forensic team examined every grain of dust found at the scene, hoping to find a link to the suspect's warehouse.”
03wood/leather texture
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the natural lines and patterns you see in wood or leather.
n. the longitudinal arrangement or pattern of fibres in wood, or the texture of the hair side of leather.
日本語:眼※
“He sanded the table carefully, always moving the paper with the grain of the wood.”
“The carpenter explained that cutting against the grain would likely cause the timber to splinter and ruin the finish.”
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'against the grain' to describe something that feels unnatural.
04photography texture
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Photography Technical
n. the tiny dots or 'noise' that make a photo look slightly fuzzy or textured.
n. the granular appearance of a processed photographic image resulting from the presence of small particles of metallic silver.
“The old black-and-white photo had a lot of grain, which made it look very artistic.”
“High-speed films typically exhibit more prominent grain, a characteristic often sought by photographers for its gritty, atmospheric quality.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
05unit of weight
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · Technical
n. a very small unit of weight used for things like medicine or gold.
n. a minute unit of mass in the troy system, originally based on the weight of a single grain of barley.
“The old recipe called for a few grains of a rare spice.”
“In the apothecaries' system, the grain served as the foundational unit of weight for measuring potent medicinal powders.”
06to texture a surface
C1 · Advanced Technical
v. to paint or treat a surface so it looks like it has a wood pattern.
v. to paint or finish a surface in imitation of the natural grain of wood or another material.
“The decorator used a special tool to grain the metal door so it looked like oak.”
“The restoration expert spent weeks graining the new panels to ensure they matched the original nineteenth-century woodwork.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “grain” in context.
Verb
01. follow the grain
“When you are sanding the table, make sure to follow the grain of the wood.”
verb + noun
02. produce grain
“This region produces enough grain to feed the entire country during the winter.”
verb + noun
Noun
03. grain of sand
“A single grain of sand got into my eye while I was sitting on the beach.”
noun + of + noun
04. grain of truth
“Although the story was mostly a lie, there was a small grain of truth in what he said.”
noun + of + noun
05. whole grain bread
“The doctor recommended eating whole grain bread instead of white bread for better health.”
noun + noun
Preposition
06. against the grain
“It goes against the grain for him to be dishonest, as he is a very truthful person.”
prep + noun
Etymology
From Middle English greyn, grayn, grein, from Old French grain, grein, from Latin grānum (“seed”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm (“grain”). Doublet of corn, gram, granum, and grao.
From Middle English grayn, from Old Norse grein (“bough, branch”), from Proto-Germanic *grainiz (“branch, twig, ramification”), of unknown origin. Related to English grove (“thicket”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Idioms
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0