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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.
Synonyms

bran

1 American  
[bran] / bræn /

noun

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


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.


bran British  
/ bræn /

noun

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

  2. food prepared from these husks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

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!

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Vocabulary lists containing bran

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

From MarketWatch Jun. 21, 2026

They are especially great on top of bran muffins or blueberry muffins, Ziata said.

From Salon Mar. 31, 2026

Insoluble fibres, found in wholegrain bread, bran and the skins of fruit and vegetables, help our poo travel through the gut.

From BBC Jan. 16, 2026

In conclusion, rice bran, an agricultural waste product, is a source of therapeutic pdNPs that are affordable, effective, and safe, and has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment in the future.

From Science Daily Apr. 22, 2024

I expertly angled my raisin bran to accommodate the g-forces.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

"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

And a regional Super Bowl commercial from Kellogg’s Raisin Bran is set to underline the importance of dietary fiber.

From The Wall Street Journal 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

I pressed the buttons on the cell phone and handed it to Bran.

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 Dickens, Charles

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