bran

B3R1A1N1
UK, US/ˈbɹæn/

noun

The broken coat of the seed of wheat, rye, or other cereal grain, separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting; the coarse, chaffy part of ground grain.

OriginMiddle English bran ← Old French bren ← Gaulish brennos →
Less commonScrabble 6
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Meanings

bran1

nounbran (countable and uncountable, plural brans)

plural brans

  1. countableuncountableThe broken coat of the seed of wheat, rye, or other cereal grain, separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting; the coarse, chaffy part of ground grain.
verbbran (third-person singular simple present brans, present participle branning, simple past and past participle branned)

present singular third person brans · participle present branning · participle past branned · past branned

  1. transitiveTo clean (metal) using a branner.

bran2

nounbran (plural brans)

plural brans

  1. biologyThe European carrion crow.

Bran3

proper nounBran (plural Brans)

plural Brans

  1. A surname.

Origin

bran · noun, verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰreHg-
  2. Proto-Celtic*bragnos“rotten, foul”
  3. Gaulishbrennos“rotten”
  4. Old Frenchbren
  5. Middle Englishbran
  6. Englishbran

From Middle English bran, branne, bren, from Old French bren, bran (“bran, filth”), from Gaulish brennos (“rotten”), from Proto-Celtic *bragnos (“rotten, foul”) (compare Welsh braen (“stench”), Irish bréan (“rancid”), Walloon brin (“excrement”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreHg- (compare Latin fragrāre (“to smell strongly”), Dutch brak (“hound”)).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Gaulish

Full word history & related roots →

bran · noun

From a Celtic source; compare Welsh brân and Cornish bran.

Full word history & related roots →

Bran · proper noun

English surname, variant of Brann.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πίτυρα
  • πίτυρα (pítura)outside layer of a grain
Arabic نُخَالَة
  • نُخَالَة (nuḵāla)outside layer of a grain
Basque zahi
  • zahioutside layer of a grain
Bulgarian три́ци
  • три́ци (tríci)outside layer of a grain
Catalan bren, segó
  • brenoutside layer of a grain
  • segóoutside layer of a grain
  • esquellatoutside layer of a grain
Chinese Mandarin 麩皮 /麸皮, 麩 /麸
  • 麩皮 /麸皮 (fūpí)outside layer of a grain
  • 麩 /麸 (fū)outside layer of a grain
  • 糠 (kāng)outside layer of a grain
Czech otruby
  • otrubyoutside layer of a grain
Danish klid
  • klidoutside layer of a grain
Dutch zemel
  • zemeloutside layer of a grain
Esperanto brano
  • branooutside layer of a grain
Finnish lese
  • leseoutside layer of a grain
French son
  • sonoutside layer of a grain
German Kleie
  • Kleieoutside layer of a grain
Greek πίτουρο
  • πίτουρο (pítouro)outside layer of a grain
Hebrew סובים
  • סובים (subím)outside layer of a grain
Hindi चोकर
  • चोकर (cokar)outside layer of a grain
Hungarian korpa
  • korpaoutside layer of a grain
Indonesian dedak
  • dedakoutside layer of a grain
Irish bran
  • branoutside layer of a grain
Italian crusca, semola
  • cruscaoutside layer of a grain
  • semolaoutside layer of a grain
Japanese 麸, 糠
  • 麸 (fusuma)outside layer of a grain
  • 糠 (nuka)outside layer of a grain
Korean 겨, 기울
  • 겨 (gyeo)outside layer of a grain
  • 기울 (giul)outside layer of a grain
Latin acus, āplūda
  • acusoutside layer of a grain
  • āplūdaoutside layer of a grain
  • canicaeoutside layer of a grain
Māori pāpapa, kiripata
  • pāpapaoutside layer of a grain
  • kiripataoutside layer of a grain
Persian سبوس
  • سبوس (sabus)outside layer of a grain
Polish otręby
  • otrębyoutside layer of a grain
Portuguese farelo
  • farelooutside layer of a grain
Romanian tărâțe
  • tărâțeoutside layer of a grain
Russian о́труби, вы́севки
  • о́труби (ótrubi)outside layer of a grain
  • вы́севки (výsevki)outside layer of a grain
Slovak otruby
  • otrubyoutside layer of a grain
Spanish salvado, acemite
  • salvadooutside layer of a grain
  • acemiteoutside layer of a grain
  • afrechooutside layer of a grain
Swedish kli
  • klioutside layer of a grain
Tagalog darak
  • darakoutside layer of a grain
Tamil தவிடு
  • தவிடு (taviṭu)outside layer of a grain
Thai รำ
  • รำ (ram)outside layer of a grain
Turkish kepek
  • kepekoutside layer of a grain
Ukrainian ви́сівки
  • ви́сівки (výsivky)outside layer of a grain
Vietnamese cám
  • cámoutside layer of a grain
Welsh eisin
  • eisinoutside layer of a grain

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bran

anthanjanmanplanjapanvanfananndanIranpanTaiwanAnnescanranLANbantanspansudanDianeMilanclan
All rhymes →

Anagrams

barnNRAB
Cite this entry
APA

bran. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bran

MLA

“bran.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bran. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bran,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bran.

Source: bran on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.