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Definition: wheat from Collins English Dictionary

n

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 See also emmer durum

[Old English hwǣte, related to Old Frisian, Old Saxon hwēti, Old High German hweizi, Old Norse hveiti; see white]

wheat

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
cereal plant of the genus Triticum of the family Poaceae ( grass family), a major food and an important commodity on the world grain market. The wheat plant is an annual, probably derived from a perennial; the ancestry of and precise distinctions between species are no longer always clear. For its early growth wheat thrives best in cool weather, though plant breeders have developed durum strains that thrive in hot weather. Among the more ancient, and now less frequently cultivated, species are einkorn ( T. monococcum ), emmer ( T. dicoccum ), and spelt ( T. spelta ). Modern wheat varieties are usually classified as winter wheats (fall-planted and unusually winter hardy for grain crops) and spring wheats. Approximately three fourths of the wheat grown in the United States is winter wheat. Flour from hard wheats (varieties evolved for the most part from T. aestivum ) contains a high percentage of gluten and is used to make bread and fine cakes. The hardest-kerneled wheat is durum ( T. …
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Full text Article wheat

From Penguin Dictionary of Biology
Although ‘wheat’ is commonly employed to refer to the modern bread wheat, Triticum aestivum , the term refers to a complex of several species, two of which are diploid, nine tetraploid, and four hexaploid. Different varieties are employed for different purposes; e.g. for pasta, biscuits and bread. …
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Full text Article wheat

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
cereal plant of the genus Triticum of the family Poaceae ( grass family), a major food and an important commodity on the world grain market. The wheat plant is an annual, probably derived from a perennial; the ancestry of and precise distinctions between species are no longer always clear. For its…
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Full text Article Wheat

From Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics
Wheat
Abstract The genetic stocks for wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) are maintained and distributed by several centers, including laboratories in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Keywords Aegilops Alien introduction Alloplasmic line Amphiploid Aneuploid Chromosome deletion line Chromosome…
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Full text Article wheat

From The Oxford Companion to Food
A grass of the genus Triticum , wheat is the second oldest (after barley ) of cultivated cereals. It is now the most widely cultivated, exceeding rice in the quantity grown; but, since some types of wheat are used as animal fodder, it remains true that more people rely on rice than on wheat as their…
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Full text Article wheat

From The Chambers Dictionary
any cereal grass of the genus Triticum , or its grain, from which a white or brown flour for bread, etc is produced (variously classified as bearded , beardless or bald wheat , according to the presence or absence of awns or beard; as white , red or amber wheat according to colour; and as winter or…
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Full text Article WHEAT

From Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink
One of the most important grains known to man, with several varieties in the genus Triticum. The word is from Old English hwaete. There is no evidence that wheat existed in the New World before Columbus brought it to Isabela, on Hispaniola, in 1493, and it was introduced to Mexico by Hernán Cortés…
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From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health
A cereal grain that serves as a staple for one-third of the world's population. Wheat accounts for 40 percent to 60 percent of the calorie and protein intake in many developing countries. Wheat is related to other true grains including rice, corn, barley, and rye. Wheat apparently developed from a…
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From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Any of various cereal grasses in the genus Triticum of the family Poaceae, one of the oldest and most important of the cereal crops. More of the world’s farmland is devoted to wheat than to any other food crop; China is the largest wheat producer. The plant has long, slender leaves, hollow stems in…
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Full text Article WHEAT

From Historical Dictionary of Australia
Wheat has been Australia's most important crop for more than a century. It was first grown in New South Wales in 1788, but it was not until the 1860s that it was grown on a large scale with the opening up of the inland plains. The dryness of the land limited the bulk of wheat production to New South…
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From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Cereal plant derived from the wild Triticum , a grass native to the Middle East. It is the chief cereal used in breadmaking and is widely cultivated in temperate climates suited to its growth. Wheat is killed by frost, and damp makes the grains soft, so warm, dry regions produce the most valuable…
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