'GRAINER

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World English Dictionary

grain (ɡreɪn)

—n
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.	a. the general direction or arrangement of the fibrous elements in paper or wood: to saw across the grain
	b. 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.	a. the granular texture of a rock, mineral, etc
	b. the appearance of a rock, mineral, etc, determined by the size and arrangement of its constituents
8.	a. the outer (hair-side) layer of a hide or skin from which the hair or wool has been removed
	b. 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.	gr 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
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

—vb
24.	(also intr) 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.	a. to remove the hair or wool from (a hide or skin) before tanning
	b. to raise the grain pattern on (leather)

[C13: from Old French, from Latin grānum]

'grainer

—n

'grainless

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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