greyn

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French grain, from Latin grānum, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm. Doublet of corn.

Alternative forms

• grayn, grayne, grein, greyne, grone

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrɛi̯n/

Noun

greyn (plural greynes)

1. A seed; any kind of planting body:
   1. A grain; a cereal seed (especially as food).
   2. The seed of any plant (especially a fruit or nut).
   3. A grain or seed used as a unit of weight.
2. A plant that bears grain (especially wheat).
3. A field planted with such plants.
4. A small mote or speck, especially of valuable substances:
   1. A spice or condiment (especially grains of paradise).
      • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 3690–3691:

        But first he cheweth greyn and lycorys / To smellen sweete, er he hadde kembd his heer.

        Though first he chews spices and licorice, / To smell sweet before he'd combed his hair.

   2. A mole or boil; a bodily imperfection.
5. Grain (die made with crushed insects, or a similar long-lasting dye)
6. An article of fabric dyed with grain.

Derived terms

• grayned
• greynen
• greynyng

Related terms

• engreynen
• gerner

Descendants

• English: grain
• Scots: grain
• Yola: gryne

References

• “grain, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-09.

Etymology 2

Noun

greyn

1. Alternative form of grayn