Rye definition

rī
A cereal grass (Secale cereale) of cool climates, widely cultivated for its grain.
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The grain of this plant, ground into flour or used in making whiskey and for livestock feed.
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Whiskey distilled wholly or chiefly from this grain.
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A grain used extensively in Europe for making bread, beer, and (now generally) for animal fodder. [from 8th c.]
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The grass Secale cereale from which the grain is obtained. [from 14th c.]
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Rye bread. [from 19th c.]
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(US, Canada) Rye whisky. [from 19th c.]
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Caraway (from the mistaken assumption that the whole seeds, often used to season rye bread, are the rye itself)
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Ryegrass, any of the species of Lolium.
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Rye bread.
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Whiskey made from the grains of this plant.
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A Romani man.
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A hardy cereal grass (Secale cereale) widely grown for its grain and straw.
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The grain or seeds of this plant, used for making flour and whiskey, and as feed for livestock.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
rye
Plural:
ryes

Origin of rye

  • Romani rai from Sanskrit rājā king raja

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English from Old English ryge

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old English ryġe, from Proto-Germanic *rugiz. Cognates include Germanic Old Norse rugr (Danish rug, Swedish råg), German Roggen, Dutch rogge and from non-Germanic Indo-European Russian рожь (rož') and Old Prussian rugis.

    From Wiktionary

Rye Sentence Examples

  • The rye crop was 148,000 bushels, and the acreage 11,000.

  • Wheat, maize, oats, barley and rye are the chief agricultural products.

  • The lower valley of the Hudson is noted for its crops, of rye.

  • The verdure had thickened and its bright green stood out sharply against the brownish strips of winter rye trodden down by the cattle, and against the pale-yellow stubble of the spring buckwheat.

  • Facing him lay a field of winter rye, there his own huntsman stood alone in a hollow behind a hazel bush.

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Words near rye in the Dictionary