a widely cultivated cereal grass, Secale cereale, having one-nerved glumes and two- or three-flowered spikelets.
the seeds or grain of this plant, used for making flour and whiskey, and as a livestock feed.
a straight whiskey distilled from a mash containing 51 percent or more rye grain.
Northeastern U.S. and Canada. a blended whiskey.
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
the grain of this grass, used in making flour and whiskey, and as a livestock food
Also called: rye whiskey. whiskey distilled from rye. US whiskey must by law contain not less than 51 per cent rye
short for rye bread
before 900; Middle English; Old English ryge; cognate with Old Norse rūgr; akin to Dutch rogge, German Roggen
First recorded in 1850–55; from Romani rai “man, gentleman,” ultimately from Sanskrit rājan “king”; see origin at rajah ( def. )
Rye is a grain that's commonly used to make things like bread and beer. So much rye is grown in Eastern Europe that it's known as the "rye belt." The earliest rye appeared as invasive weeds that grew in fields of wheat. Once people began harvesting and making food with it, they realized what a hearty and versatile grain it was. Because rye grows in poor soils and thrives even with limited amounts of sunlight, it was once commonly referred to as a "poverty grain." Today you can find rye all over the supermarket, in bread, flour, crackers, and whiskey.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Adams said straw, mushrooms, corn, rye and sunflowers are great bioremediators that can help to repair damage to soils.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
With an accurate molecular blueprint available, researchers can now investigate how these compounds from rye pollen, which comes from a cereal crop widely grown for its grain, interact with the immune system.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
These included dairy, wheat, tree nuts, coconut, seafood, red fish, pulses and beans, kiwi, sesame, dogs, cats, horse, pollen, flaxseed, chia, poppy seed, buckwheat, millet, peas, chestnut, quinoa, rye, oats and pumpkin.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
I joined the line—and was rewarded with a croissant-like coil laced with a spread made with green chiles and crushed peanuts, and a sourdough rye cookie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Some insecticides affect sensitive plants such as beans, wheat, barley, or rye, retarding root development or depressing growth of seedlings.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Rye pollen extract is already sold as a dietary supplement that many people use to support prostate health.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
After being on display for a few years, it was bought by a showman and spent two years in the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham before being offered to Rye Town Council.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
“It’s a very sweet place to be,” said John Ward, an 82-year-old retiree in Rye, N.Y., of his rising retirement balance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
Rye is the old-school classic, its slight tang and caraway whisper built for diner lore.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
Dear Diary, Our class is reading the part in The Catcher in the Rye where Hodlen Caulfield talks about his friend’s suicide.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
