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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

Heavily processed milling strips away bran, germ and other nutrients, and while federal law requires such flour to be enriched, the end product still lacks key vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

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

Insoluble fiber — found in foods like whole wheat and wheat bran — helps clear out the gut, and is not digested.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

He was eating mostly liquid supplements, with perhaps a bran muffin tossed in until it was mushy and easily digested.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

"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

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

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

There was little to report when I visited Bran on Sunday.

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