I. ˈrīs noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English ris, rise, from Old English hrīs; akin to Old High German & Old Norse hrīs twig — more at crest
1. chiefly dialect : twig , branch
2. chiefly dialect : brushwood
II. noun
( plural rice )
Etymology: Middle English rys, ryce, from Old French ris, from Italian riso, from Greek oryzon, oryza, of non-Indo-European origin; akin to the source of Sanskrit vrīhi rice
: an annual cereal grass ( Oryza sativa ) widely cultivated in warm climates for its seed that is used for human food, for its hulls and other by-products that are used to feed livestock, and for its straw that is used in making paper
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: rice (II)
: to put through a ricer
IV. adjective
1. : consisting of, containing, or concerned with rice
2. : made from nubby seedlike yarns
rice fabrics
3. : finished to resemble rice paper