I. ˈrī noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ryge; akin to Old Frisian rogga rye, Old Saxon roggo, Old High German rocko, Old Norse rugr, Russian rozh', Lithuanian rugỹs
1. : a hardy annual cereal grass ( Secale cereale ) that has loose spikes with an articulate rachis and long-awned lemmas and is widely cultivated especially in northern continental Europe where its grain is the chief ingredient of black bread and in No. America where it is used especially as a cover crop and for soil improvement and frequently for forage
2. : the seeds of rye used for bread flour, whiskey manufacture, feed for poultry and other farm animals, and especially formerly in the roasted state a coffee substitute
3. : rye whiskey
4. : rye bread
ham on rye
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Romany rai, from Sanskrit rājan king — more at royal
: gentleman ; specifically : a gypsy gentleman