rye

¹

[ rahy ]

noun

1. a widely cultivated cereal grass, Secale cereale, having one-nerved glumes and two- or three-flowered spikelets.
2. the seeds or grain of this plant, used for making flour and whiskey, and as a livestock feed.
3. rye bread.
4. a straight whiskey distilled from a mash containing 51 percent or more rye grain.
5. Northeastern U.S. and Canada. a blended whiskey.

adjective

1. made with rye grain or flour:

   rye rolls.

rye

²

[ rahy ]

noun

1. a male Romani; Rom.

Rye

³

[ rahy ]

noun

1. a city in SE New York, on Long Island Sound.

rye

¹

/ raɪ /

noun

1. dialect.
   a gentleman

rye

²

/ raɪ /

noun

1. a tall hardy widely cultivated annual grass, Secale cereale , having soft bluish-green leaves, bristly flower spikes, and light brown grain See also wild rye
2. the grain of this grass, used in making flour and whiskey, and as a livestock food
3. Also calledrye whiskey whiskey distilled from rye. US whiskey must by law contain not less than 51 per cent rye
4. short for rye bread

Rye

³

/ raɪ /

noun

1. a resort in SE England, in East Sussex: one of the Cinque Ports. Pop: 4195 (2001)

Word History and Origins

Origin of rye¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English ryge; cognate with Old Norse rūgr; akin to Dutch rogge, German Roggen

Origin of rye²

First recorded in 1850–55; from Romani rai “man, gentleman,” ultimately from Sanskrit rājan “king”; rajah ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of rye¹

from Romany rai , from Sanskrit rājan king; see rajah

Origin of rye²

Old English ryge ; related to Old Norse rugr , Old French rogga , Old Saxon roggo

Example Sentences

From cognac to bourbon, rye to añejo tequila, many of our beloved spirits spend years aging in wooden casks.

From The Daily Beast

The family lived on Park Avenue and in Rye, New York, summered on Lake George and had servants in the home.

From The Daily Beast

George Dickel Rye starts with MGP whiskey but charcoal-filters it before bottling.

From The Daily Beast

Templeton Rye, by contrast, has built its successful brand on being a product of Templeton, Iowa.

From The Daily Beast

“I have purchased hundreds of barrels of rye and bourbon from them,” John Bernasconi admits when asked about the Indiana factory.

From The Daily Beast

Wheat gives place to Rye about the same time, and the Potato, at first comparatively rare, becomes universal.

From Project Gutenberg

Rye is now being harvested, and is quite heavy: in fact, all the crops promise abundant harvests.

From Project Gutenberg

Little Rye was sown, but that little is very good; Barley is suffering from the stormy weather, but is quite thrifty.

From Project Gutenberg

They produced pumpernickel from one cupboard, and rye-bread and sausage from another, and all began to talk again and eat.

From Project Gutenberg

Two miles from Winchelsea is Rye, another of the decayed seaports of the southeast coast.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat