bran

noun

ˈbran 

: the edible broken seed coats of cereal grain separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting

Examples of bran in a Sentence

The doctor told me to eat more bran because it is a good source of fiber.

Recent Examples on the Web

This means the bran and the germ from the wheat kernel are removed. — Vanessa Caceres, Verywell Health, 15 July 2026

Refined grains, such as white flour, have had the bran (the outer layer of the grain kernel) and the germ (the part of the kernel that can grow into a new plant) removed during processing. — Jillian Kubala, Health, 14 July 2026

Brown rice, which retains its bran layer, contains more nutrients and minerals than white rice, meaning the water used to rinse brown rice has more nutrients for plants. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2026

Soluble fiber, which comes from the oat bran, comprises most of the fiber content. — Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bran, bren, bryne, borrowed from Anglo-French bren, brin, bran (continental Old French brent, bran), going back to Gallo-Romance *brenno- (whence also Old Occitan bren "bran"), probably of pre-Roman substratal origin

Note: The etymon *brenno- is attested in most of the Gallo-Romance speech area, as well as in Catalan (14th-century breny) and Aragonese; older Spanish and Portuguese bren are most likely loans from Gallo-Romance. The word also exists in Romansh (Surselvan dialect bren "groats," Vallader dialect "bran") and in dialects of Upper Italian. Evidence for a feminine variant *brenna- is found mainly in central and southern Italian dialects (see Lessico etimologico italiano). The earliest form known is feminine, brinna in the Formulae imperiales of Louis the Pious (9th century), where bran is mentioned as food for dogs. In Middle French bran begins to appear in the sense "excrement, shit," which at least regionally may have led to replacement of bran in the sense "bran" by son (going back to Latin secundus "second," bran being a product of a second sifting of the flour). — A Celtic origin has been suggested for *brenno-, though Welsh brann, bran "bran" and Breton brenn are more likely loanwords from English and French, respectively.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bran

• an
• ban
• can
• cann
• clan
• duan
• fan
• flan
• gran
• jann
• klan
• lan

Kids Definition

bran

noun

ˈbran 

: the edible broken coat of the seed of a cereal grain left after the grain has been ground and the flour or meal sifted out

Medical Definition

bran

noun

ˈbran 

: the edible broken seed coats of cereal grain separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting