rye

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈrī 

1

: a hardy annual grass (Secale cereale) that is widely grown for grain and as a cover crop

2

: the seeds of rye

3

: rye bread

4

: rye whiskey

rye

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a male member of the Roma

Examples of rye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Geographically, the food is New Nordic, with touches of gooseberry, rye and glittery golden vendace roe from the Baltic Sea. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

One the best examples of American single malt, however, comes from a relatively new operation that mostly makes bourbon and rye in northern Kentucky—New Riff—which just dropped the 2026 edition of its single malt. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 May 2026

Winter rye residues also release allelopathic chemicals into the soil that restrict the germination and growth of seeds. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026

Today, Wilken grows 4,000 acres of grain, rye, corn and soybeans in central Illinois with his son — without the use of synthetic chemicals like Roundup. —Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English ryge; akin to Old High German rocko rye, Lithuanian rugys

Noun (2)

borrowed from Welsh Romani raj "lord, gentleman," going back to an Old Indo-Aryan cognate of Sanskrit rā́jan- "king" — more at royal entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1851, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rye

• rye bread
• rye whiskey
• wild rye

Rhymes for rye

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

rye

noun

ˈrī

1

: a hardy annual cereal grass widely grown for grain and as a cover crop

also : its seeds

2

: rye bread

3

: whiskey distilled from rye or from rye and malt

Medical Definition

rye

noun

ˈrī 

1

: a hardy annual grass (Secale cereale) that is widely grown for grain and as a cover crop

2

: the seeds of rye used for bread flour, whiskey manufacture, feed for farm animals (as poultry), and especially formerly in the roasted state as a coffee substitute

Geographical Definition

Rye

geographical name

ˈrī 

town in East Sussex, southeastern England population 4800