wheat
[hweet, weet]
- 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.
- the plant itself.
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Origin of wheat
before 900; Middle English whete, Old English hwǣte; cognate with German Weizen, Old Norse hveiti, Gothic hwaiteis; akin to white
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for wheat
Contemporary Examples
Borlaug and his associates set out to develop strains of wheat that could resist diseases and pests, and thus improve yields.
After plane loads of wheat seeds were sent to India in the 1960s, farmers there were able to boost production by a factor of four.
A blended scotch whisky is made by combining several single malts with wheat and/or corn whiskies in column stills.
This one was born in Floral, Saskatchewan, on the outskirts of Saskatoon, in the heart of Western Canada's wheat prairies.
One more thing: celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity are not the same as a wheat allergy.
Historical Examples
I watch the wife of my friend gathering poppies in the wheat.
Ballads of a BohemianRobert W. Service
When we got out the cargo, we found it much damaged, particularly the wheat.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
The wheat which his customers brought in, was stored at the mill and ground.
Cleveland Past and PresentMaurice Joblin
There isn't a bushel of wheat in the country that isn't in the combination.
One Day's CourtshipRobert Barr
Which is the wheat and which the tares, that must be garnered or sifted from our loves?
The Truth About WomanC. Gasquoine Hartley
wheat
- 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
- the grain of any of these grasses, used in making flour, pasta, etc
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Word Origin
Old English hwǣte, related to Old Frisian, Old Saxon hwēti, Old High German hweizi, Old Norse hveiti; see white
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for wheat
n.
Old English hwæte "wheat," from Proto-Germanic *khwaitijaz (cf. Old Saxon hweti, Old Norse hveiti, Norwegian kveite, Old Frisian hwete, Middle Dutch, Dutch weit, Old High German weizzi, German Weizen, Gothic hvaiteis "wheat"), literally "that which is white," from *khwitaz-, the source of Old English hwit (see white; and cf. Welsh gwenith "wheat," related to gwenn "white"). The Old World grain was introduced into New Spain in 1528. Wheaties, the cereal brand name, was patented 1925.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper