wheat

[ weet, hweet ]

noun

1. the grain of any cereal grass of the genus Triticum, especially T. aestivum, used in the form of flour for making bread, cakes, etc., and for other culinary and nutritional purposes.
2. the plant itself.

wheat

/ wiːt /

noun

1. any annual or biennial grass of the genus Triticum, native to the Mediterranean region and W Asia but widely cultivated, having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
2. the grain of any of these grasses, used in making flour, pasta, etc

Other Words From

• wheat·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wheat¹

before 900; Middle English whete, Old English hwǣte; cognate with German Weizen, Old Norse hveiti, Gothic hwaiteis; akin to white

Word History and Origins

Origin of wheat¹

Old English hwǣte, related to Old Frisian, Old Saxon hwēti, Old High German hweizi, Old Norse hveiti; see white

Example Sentences

Glyphosate is the world's most heavily applied herbicide, used on crops including corn, soybeans, sugar beets, alfalfa, cotton and wheat.

From Science Daily

An Indian farmer checks his wheat crop that was damaged in heavy rain on the outskirts of Amritsar on March 21, 2018.

From Salon

The other fragrance is called Rozana, after a ship that was feverishly anticipated by people starving across Palestine, Lebanon and Syria after failed wheat harvests 100 years ago.

From BBC

Their findings show that yields grew annually at a rate equivalent to about 33 kg of wheat per hectare.

From Science Daily

In contrast, Saudi Arabia drew down nearly 80% of its fossil water aquifers between the 1970s and the mid-2010s to irrigate thirsty wheat, corn, and alfalfa fields.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• cereal
• grass