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Synonyms

bran

1 American  
[bran] / bræn /

noun

  1. the partly ground husk of wheat or other grain, separated from flour meal by sifting.

verb (used with object)

branned, branning

  1. to soak or boil in bran water, as in the tanning of hides.

Bran 2 American  
[bran] / bræn /

noun

  1. Welsh Legend. a king of Britain and the brother of Manawydan and Branwen: his head was buried at London as a magical defense against invasion. He was sometimes regarded as a sea god or Christian saint.

  2. a male given name, form of Brandon.

bran British  
/ bræn /

noun

  1. husks of cereal grain separated from the flour by sifting

  2. food prepared from these husks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • branner noun

Etymology

Origin of bran

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French bran, bren, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Insoluble fibres, found in wholegrain bread, bran and the skins of fruit and vegetables, help our poo travel through the gut.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

Rice bran is a byproduct generated during rice refining process that has limited utility and low commercial value.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

Another note: one source of fiber, wheat bran, can interfere with calcium absorption in the same meal.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2023

Phytic acid is the storage form of phosphorous in plants, the most concentrated area being in the bran or outer hull of the seed.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2023

He carried him home to his own kitchen and saved his life, feeding him with milk from a nasal dropper until he was old enough to eat bran and greenstuff.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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.