groat

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
usually plural in form but singular or plural in construction : hulled grain broken into fragments larger than grits
2
: a grain (as of oats) exclusive of the hull

groat

2 of 2

noun (2)

: an old British coin worth four pennies

Examples of groat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Add groats and toast, shaking and tossing often and adjusting heat as needed, until crisp and light golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Joy Cho, Good Housekeeping, 8 Aug. 2023 There are six very high oxalate foods: spinach, rhubarb, rice bran, buckwheat groats, almonds and miso soup -- don’t eat those. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 4 May 2023 Experts identified the silver coin as a half groat dating back to the reign of Henry VII, England’s first Tudor king who ruled from 1485 to 1509. Jacquelyne Germain, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Nov. 2022 Known as a half groat, the coin dates to the reign of England’s first Tudor king, Henry VII, who ruled from 1485 to 1509. David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Nov. 2021 Other centuries-old English coins found on the continent include a circa 1558 groat buried on Richmond Island in Maine around 1628 and a 1560 silver coin unearthed in Jamestown, Virginia. David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Nov. 2021 Whole groat oats – oat kernels with the outer, inedible hulls removed. Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 10 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'groat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English grotes, going back to Old English grotan, masculine weak plural, presumably a variant of the neuter noun grot "particle, whit" (also glossing Latin pollis "finely ground flour"), probably going back to Germanic *gruta-, noun derivative of *greutan- "to grind, crush" — more at grit entry 1

Note: Old English grotan is corrected from the manuscript form gratan, which occurs only once. Forms in other Germanic languages directly comparable to *gruta- appear to be lacking.

Noun (2)

Middle English groot, from Middle Dutch

First Known Use

Noun (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of groat was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near groat

Cite this Entry

“Groat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

groat

1 of 2 noun
1
: hulled grain broken into fragments larger than grits
usually used in plural
buckwheat groats
2
: a grain (as of oats) without the hull

groat

2 of 2 noun
: a former British coin worth four pennies
Etymology

Noun

Old English grotan, plural of grot

Noun

Middle English groot "coin"; of Dutch origin

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