The stem or main axis of a plant; as, a stalk of wheat, rye, or oats; the stalks of maize or hemp.
That which resembles the stalk of a plant, as the stem of a quill.
An ornament in the Corinthian capital resembling the stalk of a plant, from which the volutes and helices spring.
One of the two upright pieces of a ladder.
A stem or peduncle, as of certain barnacles and crinoids.
An iron bar with projections inserted in a core to strengthen it; a core arbor.
A high, proud, stately step or walk.
The act or process of stalking.
To walk slowly and cautiously; to walk in a stealthy, noiseless manner; - sometimes used with a reflexive pronoun.
To walk behind something as a screen, for the purpose of approaching game; to proceed under cover.
To walk with high and proud steps; - usually implying the affectation of dignity, and indicating dislike. The word is used, however, especially by the poets, to express dignity of step.
To approach under cover of a screen, or by stealth, for the purpose of killing, as game.
To follow (a person) persistently, with or without attempts to evade detection; as, the paparazzi stalk celebrities to get candid photographs; obsessed fans may stalk their favorite movie stars.
See Groan.
To yield fruit.
To form grains, or to assume a granular form, as the result of crystallization; to granulate.
A single small hard seed; a kernel, especially of those plants, like wheat, whose seeds are used for food.
The fruit of certain grasses which furnish the chief food of man, as corn, wheat, rye, oats, etc., or the plants themselves; - used collectively.
Any small, hard particle, as of sand, sugar, salt, etc.; hence, any minute portion or particle; as, a grain of gunpowder, of pollen, of starch, of sense, of wit, etc.
The unit of the English system of weights; - so called because considered equal to the average of grains taken from the middle of the ears of wheat. 7,000 grains constitute the pound avoirdupois, and 5,760 grains the pound troy. A grain is equal to .0648 gram. See Gram.
A reddish dye made from the coccus insect, or kermes; hence, a red color of any tint or hue, as crimson, scarlet, etc.; sometimes used by the poets as equivalent to Tyrian purple.
The composite particles of any substance; that arrangement of the particles of any body which determines its comparative roughness or hardness; texture; as, marble, sugar, sandstone, etc., of fine grain.
The direction, arrangement, or appearance of the fibers in wood, or of the strata in stone, slate, etc.
The fiber which forms the substance of wood or of any fibrous material.
The hair side of a piece of leather, or the marking on that side.
The remains of grain, etc., after brewing or distillation; hence, any residuum. Also called draff.
A rounded prominence on the back of a sepal, as in the common dock. See Grained, a., 4.
Temper; natural disposition; inclination.
A sort of spice, the grain of paradise.
A branch of a tree; a stalk or stem of a plant.
A tine, prong, or fork.
A blade of a sword, knife, etc.
A thin piece of metal, used in a mold to steady a core.
To paint in imitation of the grain of wood, marble, etc.
To form (powder, sugar, etc.) into grains.
To take the hair off (skins); to soften and raise the grain of (leather, etc.).
