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• bran
  bran

  noun

  the partly ground husk of wheat or other grain, separated from flour meal by sifting.
• Bran
  Bran

  noun

  a king of Britain and the brother of Manawydan and Branwen: his head was buried at London as a magical defense against invasion. He was sometimes regarded as a sea god or Christian saint.

bran

¹ American  

[bran] / bræn /

noun

• brans
  plural

1. the partly ground husk of wheat or other grain, separated from flour meal by sifting.

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verb (used with object)

branned, branning

1. to soak or boil in bran water, as in the tanning of hides.

Bran ² American  

[bran] / bræn /

noun

1. Welsh Legend. a king of Britain and the brother of Manawydan and Branwen: his head was buried at London as a magical defense against invasion. He was sometimes regarded as a sea god or Christian saint.

2. a male given name, form of Brandon.

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bran British  

/ bræn /

noun

1. husks of cereal grain separated from the flour by sifting

2. food prepared from these husks

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• branner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• brans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bran

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French bran, bren, of uncertain origin

Explanation

The outside layer of a grain like wheat or rice is called bran. If you need some fiber, avoid the chocolate chip muffin and opt for the bran muffin instead. Most of wheat's nutrients are in its bran and germ, which are parts of an unprocessed cereal grain. When wheat is processed into white flour, the bran is removed. That's too bad since there are B vitamins, protein, iron, and important fatty acids in bran (all of which is stripped away when grain is milled or refined). White rice, for example, is rice with the bran and germ removed, while a grain of brown rice still contains both. In the sixteenth century, bran also meant "dandruff flakes." Yum!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bran Bran brans

Cattle receive specialized, highly-regulated care and expensive feeds of barley, corn, alfalfa and rice bran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

I wanted something small like a bran muffin and quickly scanned the menu for “I Am Regular” to no avail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Composed of bran flour pieces, it was hard and virtually inedible.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026

Rice bran is a byproduct generated during rice refining process that has limited utility and low commercial value.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024

The porridge was ready, a different matter from the stiff bran mush of Pulefen Farm; it tasted like the roast chestnuts of Terra, and burned the mouth splendidly.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Bran Black, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia says it was pleasing that the government is prioritizing the development of AI policy, while establishing an AI Office in Canberra.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

"The connection between synthesis planning and mechanisms is very exciting: we usually use mechanisms to discover new reactions that enable us to synthesize new molecules," says Andres M Bran.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

At 94, "Star Trek" legend William Shatner chews the scenery in a Raisin Bran ad that leans into fiber jokes, introducing himself as a character named "Will Shat."

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

The service believes he left that morning from Poiana Brașov heading to Bran, the site of Count Dracula's castle.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025

Bran decided that if someone dictates a letter that someone else writes or types, the writer is the one who puts the words together.

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

Procter & Gamble said its earnings were affected by its stepped up investments in marketing, and divestitures of some smaller brans.

From US News ● Aug. 2, 2016

Two half-quartern brans; pound of best fresh; piece of double Glo'ster; and, to wind up all, some of the richest sort you ever lushed!'

From Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Related Words

• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat