grits

American  

[grits] / grɪts /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. Also called hominy grits.  (especially in Southern cooking) coarsely ground hominy, or white corn, boiled to a thick consistency and then sometimes fried, eaten as a breakfast dish or as a side dish with meat.

2. grain hulled and coarsely ground.

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grits British  

/ ɡrɪts /

plural noun

1. hulled and coarsely ground grain

2. See hominy grits

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Etymology

Origin of grits

First recorded before 900; Middle English grut(t)a, gryttes (plural) “coarse meal, bran,” Old English gryt(t) “dust, meal”; cognate with German Grütze

Compare meaning

How does grits compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hominy vs. grits

Example Sentences

Why put grits in with perfectly good meat?

From Literature

The restaurants served up moderately priced country ham, pancakes, eggs and grits.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Lakshmi serves it on a bed of traditional Southern cheesy grits and suggests chowchow pickles, an old-time relish, as a side.

From The Wall Street Journal

That week, they were going on a surf-and-turf version of shrimp and grits: steak tips, seared shrimp, a lake of cheesy grits and, right on top, a tangle of sweet-savory onions.

From Salon

One of my favorite lazy breakfasts, picked up from childhood summers in the Carolinas, was a bowl of cheesy grits topped with tomato gravy and a lush, freshly burst egg yolk.

From Salon

Related Words

• gruel
• oatmeal
• polenta