wheat

American  

[weet, hweet] / wit, ʰwit /

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.

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wheat British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• wheatless adjective

Etymology

Origin of wheat

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

Example Sentences

Brazil’s coffee-growing monoculture left much of the country dependent on imported food, particularly white flour from the slave-worked mills of Richmond, which in turn encouraged the development of new capital-intensive wheat plantations in Virginia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The two farms plant a large variety of crops, including nuts, corn, wheat, cotton, alfalfa and fruits and vegetables — all needing a variety of fertilizers and other nutrients.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

Soft commodities, including corn and wheat, are showing renewed strength as investors rotate into these previously lagging areas.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Under the deal, eight years in the making, almost all EU tariffs will be lifted on Australian agricultural products such as wine, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, seafood, most dairy products and wheat and barley.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

I like 100 percent whole grain wheat bread, thin sliced.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• cereal
• grass