wheat
Americannoun
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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.
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the plant itself.
noun
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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
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the grain of any of these grasses, used in making flour, pasta, etc
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
Explanation
Wheat is the grain most commonly used in things like bread, pasta, and cake. When wheat is ground, it becomes flour you can use for baking. Who wants cupcakes? A field of wheat looks like tall, green grasses — the wheat turns golden-colored when it's ready to be harvested. More farmland is planted with wheat than any other crop, as it's a major worldwide source of carbohydrates. Some people are sensitive or allergic to the gluten in wheat, but most of us can safely eat and enjoy the many foods made from wheat. The Germanic source means "that which is white," from a root meaning "to shine."
Vocabulary lists containing wheat
Yellow
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Brown
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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.
Stacks of wheat straws and corn stalks separated my village from the fields, where the growth was always a little sparser than we wanted it to be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
This tinder caught fire when food prices spiked again in 2010, triggered by a historic Russian drought that wiped out a third of the country’s wheat harvest.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Earlier mills were better suited for wheat than corn, which was a staple in Pennsylvania and other mid-Atlantic colonies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
The study highlights a major shift in how wheat has evolved over time.
From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026
Some had cases of “survival crackers”—bulgur wheat blocks with an estimated shelf life of three thousand years.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
