'Secale cereale' definitions:

Definition of 'Secale cereale'

From: WordNet
noun
Hardy annual cereal grass widely cultivated in northern Europe where its grain is the chief ingredient of black bread and in North America for forage and soil improvement [syn: rye, Secale cereale]

Definition of 'Secale cereale'

From: GCIDE
  • Rye \Rye\ (r[imac]), n. [OE. rie, reie, AS. ryge; akin to Icel. rugr, Sw. r[*a]g, Dan. rug, D. rogge, OHG. rocco, roggo, G. rocken, roggen, Lith. rugei, Russ. roje, and perh. to Gr. 'o`ryza rice. Cf. Rice.]
  • 1. (Bot.) A grain yielded by a hardy cereal grass ({Secale cereale}), closely allied to wheat; also, the plant itself. Rye constitutes a large portion of the breadstuff used by man. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A disease in a hawk. --Ainsworth. [1913 Webster]
  • Rye grass, Italian rye grass, (Bot.) See under Grass. See also Ray grass, and Darnel.
  • Wild rye (Bot.), any plant of the genus Elymus, tall grasses with much the appearance of rye. [1913 Webster]