Middle English Dictionary Entry

grain n.
Quotations: Show all Hide all

Entry Info

Forms grain n. Also grane, grone, gren, grin.
Etymology OF grain, grein; senses 2, 5, 6 correspond to OF graine, greine.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1a.
A crop of cereal plants; also fig.: (a) coll. sg.; newe ~, fresh crop; (b) pl.; old graines, crops of former years.
Show 15 Quotations
1b.
The fruit or edible part of cereal plants, a seed, a kernel; also fig.: (a) considered individually, sg. and pl.; to the thritieth ~, thirty fold; of the sixtieth ~, sixty fold; etc.; (b) coll. sg.; ~ lede, vessel for infusing or storing grain in a brewery; ~ whet, wheat grain.
Show 18 Quotations
1c.
(a) A species of cereal plant or crop; ?also, peas; (b) corn and (or) ~, cereal grain(s; wheat; wheat and (or) other cereal grains.
Show 15 Quotations
2.
(a) Seed of plants or flowers; a pip of an apple, grape, pear, pomegranate, raisin, etc.; also fig.; (b) the fruit of a non-cereal plant; a berry, legume, nut, date, etc.; peper ~, ~ of peper, a peppercorn; (c) ?the inedible core of a fruit.
Show 35 Quotations
3.
(a) Something resembling grain; a particle of manna, a grain of sand or gravel; a small piece of stone or iron; (b) precious stone; small bits of gold or gems; (c) a small quantity, a particle; (d) the smallest measure of weight, the weight of a grain of wheat or barley [cp. sense 1b. (a)].
Show 19 Quotations
4.
(a) Pustule, blemish on the skin, spot; roughness of surface; also fig.; (b) texture of skin; ~ side, grain side, the skin side of leather.
Show 8 Quotations
5.
Spice; esp., the seed of Amomum Meleguetta used as spice and in medicines; --also called ~ de Paris, ~ of paradis; --often pl.
Show 16 Quotations
6.
(a) A scarlet dye made from the insect Kermes (Coccus ilicis); also, the dyestuff; ~ of Portugal, ~ de Seville; in ~, deied in (with) ~, teined in ~, deped in ~, fast-dyed with scarlet; also fig.; out of ~, ?dyed with a dyestuff other than grain; (b) a fast, mordanted dye of any color; (c) a cloth fast-dyed; (d) ?fine leather produced by tawing with alum.
Show 21 Quotations
7.
In surnames.
Show 9 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • (1311-12) Freeman R.in KRec.18196 : Johannes Greinsebakere.
    • Note: New form: pl. (in name) greinse-.
    Note: Quot. needed for date in sense 7.
  • ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)135/1 : Galien..comaundeþ..to kytte þe temple veynes..and to schette ham with..a greyne of ensence or of coste [Ch.(1): of thuris tosted], or wiþ some corosyf.
    • Note: Quot. needed for date in sense 3.(a).
    Note: Modify gloss for subsense (a): "Something resembling grain; a particle of manna, a grain of sand or gravel, a grain of incense; a small piece of stone or iron;"
  • a1400 Trin-C O.9.39 Recipes (Trin-C O.9.39) 14/39 : Slyke þy skyn vpon þe greynside þat is colored bygynnyng eueremore at þe pol abouen and slykyng þy skyn dounwardes to þe rumpe as þe greyne goeth.
  • a1500 Ashm.750 Artist.Recipes (Ashm 750) 254/19 : Ȝif it be hold and hard stepe it in clene water .j. day or to, and breke þe greyn of þe skyn atwene þi hondys.
    • Note: Additional quots. for sense 4.(b).
  • a1400 Roy.17.A.3 Artist.Recipes (Roy 17.A.3) 235/20 : Forto make cynopre..℞ madir, and greyne that gooth to scarlet, and brasil, and lak, and gumme Arabyk, and vynegre.
    • Note: Additional quot. for sense 6.(a).
  • c1475 Tak 61 Recipe (Tak 61) 311/7 : Forto brasyl a gobun of sangweyn in gryne.
    • Note: Additional quot. for sense 6.(a).
    Note: The phrase in ~, found in several quotes here, and deriving, it would seem, from the the French phrase "en grain" (cp. AND grain n.1), paralleled in Latin 'in grana', often function adjectivally, and may plausibly be regarded as endingless past participial forms of engreinen v. (q.v.). This is how Clarke interprets 'in gryne,' which he prints as 'ingryne.' The verb is in any case clearly influenced by the phrase.
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section is incomplete and needs revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED. Provisional revised form section (including Supplement forms): Also grain(n)e, gran, grein(e, grin, grone, (in name) grani- & (?error) grenin; pl. graines, etc. & granes, greinesse, (in name) greinse-.--notes per MLL

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.38ra (2.3) : By cause of wastyng and anyntisshyng of þe lunges..þere scheweþ hem smale greynes in þe vryn, wiþ mykel froþ abouen, and þe vryn wannysshe, dedisshe, & bloisshe.
  • ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.90rb (3.4) : 'Grana vrine' (anglice: kirnelles in the vryn, gallice greyns) ar noþing elles but smale parties of froth diuised in diuerse parties in the vryn.
  • ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.92ra (3.6) : Anoþer maner [of froth]..is..litil smale desicions, i. smale chippinges, smale particlez of froth, as it were wonder smale greynes holdand hem in diuerse places in the vryn..And swiche maner of froth is callede 'spuma granulosa,' spume granelouse or 'spume de greyne' or 'greyn de spume' (anglice: greynes of froth).
Note: ?New sense. Editor's gloss: 'n. pl. grains, small bits of foam dispersed in a urine sample...greyn de spume grainy foam (French)'.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. grain 1.

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