grain

[greyn] /greɪn/
noun
1.
a small, hard seed, especially the seed of a food plant such as wheat, corn, rye, oats, rice, or millet.
2.
the gathered seed of food plants, especially of cereal plants.
3.
such plants collectively.
4.
any small, hard particle, as of sand, gold, pepper, or gunpowder.
5.
the smallest unit of weight in most systems, originally determined by the weight of a plump grain of wheat. In the U.S. and British systems, as in avoirdupois, troy, and apothecaries' weights, the grain is identical. In an avoirdupois ounce there are 437.5 grains; in the troy and apothecaries' ounces there are 480 grains (one grain equals 0.0648 gram).
6.
the smallest possible amount of anything:
a grain of truth.
7.
the arrangement or direction of fibers in wood, or the pattern resulting from this.
8.
the direction in which the fibers of a piece of dressed wood, as a board, rise to the surface:
You should work with or across the grain, but never against.
9.
the side of leather from which the hair has been removed.
10.
a stamped pattern that imitates the natural grain of leather: used either on leather to simulate a different type of natural leather, or on coated cloth.
11.
Textiles.
  1. the fibers or yarn in a piece of fabric as differentiated from the fabric itself.
  2. the direction of threads in a woven fabric in relation to the selvage.
12.
the lamination or cleavage of stone, coal, etc.
13.
Metallurgy. any of the individual crystalline particles forming a metal.
14.
Jewelry. a unit of weight equal to 50 milligrams or ¼ carat, used for pearls and sometimes for diamonds.
15.
the size of constituent particles of any substance; texture:
sugar of fine grain.
16.
a granular texture or appearance:
a stone of coarse grain.
17.
a state of crystallization:
boiled to the grain.
18.
temper or natural character:
two brothers of similar grain.
19.
Rocketry. a unit of solid propellant.
20.
Obsolete. color or hue.
verb (used with object)
21.
to form into grains; granulate.
22.
to give a granular appearance to.
23.
to paint in imitation of the grain of wood, stone, etc.:
metal doors grained to resemble oak.
24.
to feed grain to (an animal).
25.
Tanning.
  1. to remove the hair from (skins).
  2. to soften and raise the grain of (leather).
Idioms
26.
against the / one's grain, in opposition to one's temper, inclination, or character:
Haggling always went against her grain.
27.
with a grain of salt. salt1 (def 23).
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English grain, grein < Old French grain < Latin grānum seed, grain; see corn1
Related forms
grainer, noun
grainless, adjective
multigrain, noun, adjective
nongrain, noun
supergrain, noun
undergraining, noun
Synonyms
6. bit, speck, trace, jot, iota, whit, tittle.
British Dictionary definitions for against the grain

grain

/ɡreɪn/
noun
1.
the small hard seedlike fruit of a grass, esp a cereal plant
2.
a mass of such fruits, esp when gathered for food
3.
the plants, collectively, from which such fruits are harvested
4.
a small hard particle: a grain of sand
5.
  1. the general direction or arrangement of the fibrous elements in paper or wood: to saw across the grain
  2. the pattern or texture of wood resulting from such an arrangement: the attractive grain of the table
6.
the relative size of the particles of a substance: sugar of fine grain
7.
  1. the granular texture of a rock, mineral, etc
  2. the appearance of a rock, mineral, etc, determined by the size and arrangement of its constituents
8.
  1. the outer (hair-side) layer of a hide or skin from which the hair or wool has been removed
  2. the pattern on the outer surface of such a hide or skin
9.
a surface artificially imitating the grain of wood, leather, stone, etc; graining
10.
the smallest unit of weight in the avoirdupois, Troy, and apothecaries' systems, based on the average weight of a grain of wheat: in the avoirdupois system it equals 1/7000 of a pound, and in the Troy and apothecaries' systems it equals 1/5760 of a pound. 1 grain is equal to 0.0648 gram gr
11.
Also called metric grain. a metric unit of weight used for pearls or diamonds, equal to 50 milligrams or one quarter of a carat
12.
the threads or direction of threads in a woven fabric
13.
(photog) any of a large number of particles in a photographic emulsion, the size of which limit the extent to which an image can be enlarged without serious loss of definition
14.
(television) a granular effect in a television picture caused by electrical noise
15.
cleavage lines in crystalline material, parallel to growth planes
16.
(chem) any of a large number of small crystals forming a polycrystalline solid, each having a regular array of atoms that differs in orientation from that of the surrounding crystallites
17.
a state of crystallization: to boil syrup to the grain
18.
a very small amount: a grain of truth
19.
natural disposition, inclination, or character (esp in the phrase go against the grain)
20.
(astronautics) a homogenous mass of solid propellant in a form designed to give the required combustion characteristics for a particular rocket
21.
(not in technical usage) kermes or a red dye made from this insect
22.
(dyeing) an obsolete word for colour
23.
with a grain of salt, with a pinch of salt, without wholly believing: sceptically
verb (mainly transitive)
24.
(also intransitive) to form grains or cause to form into grains; granulate; crystallize
25.
to give a granular or roughened appearance or texture to
26.
to paint, stain, etc, in imitation of the grain of wood or leather
27.
  1. to remove the hair or wool from (a hide or skin) before tanning
  2. to raise the grain pattern on (leather)
Derived Forms
grainer, noun
grainless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin grānum
Word Origin and History for against the grain

grain

n.

early 13c., "scarlet dye made from insects" (late 12c. in surnames), from Old French grain (12c.) "seed, grain, particle, berry, scarlet dye" (see kermes for last sense), from Latin granum "seed, a grain, small kernel" (see corn (n.1)).

As a collective singular meaning "seed of wheat and allied grasses used as food," it is attested from early 14c. Extended from c.1300 to other objects (e.g. salt, sand). As a unit of weight, from 1540s. Used of wood (1560s), from the arrangement of fibers, which resemble seeds. Hence, against the grain (1650), a metaphor from carpentry: cutting across the fibers of the wood is more difficult than cutting along them.

against the grain in Medicine

grain (grān)
n.

  1. A small, dry, one-seeded fruit of a cereal grass, having the fruit and the seed walls united.

  2. The fruits of cereal grasses especially after having been harvested, considered as a group.

  3. A relatively small discrete particulate or crystalline mass.


  4. Abbr. gr. A unit of weight in the U.S. Customary System, an avoirdupois unit equal to 0.002286 ounce (0.065 gram).

against the grain in Science
grain
  (grān)   

  1. See caryopsis.

  2. A small particle of something, such as salt, pollen, or sand.

  3. A unit of weight in the US Customary System, equal to 2/1000 of an ounce (0.07 gram). See Table at measurement.


Slang definitions & phrases for against the grain

grain

noun

Marijuana; grass, pot: You been smoking too much grain. You head is juiced (1980s+ Narcotics)


against the grain in the Bible

used, in Amos 9:9, of a small stone or kernel; in Matt. 13:31, of an individual seed of mustard; in John 12:24, 1 Cor. 15:37, of wheat. The Hebrews sowed only wheat, barley, and spelt; rye and oats are not mentioned in Scripture.

Idioms and Phrases with against the grain

against the grain

Opposed to one's inclination or preference, as in We followed the new supervisor's advice, though it went against the grain. This metaphor refers to the natural direction of the fibers in a piece of wood, called its grain; when sawed obliquely, or “against the grain,” the wood will tend to splinter. [ c. 1600 ]
For a synonym, see rub the wrong way

grain

see: