rice

Meaning

Noun

1. Cereal plants, Oryza sativa of the grass family whose seeds are used as food.
2. A specific variety of this plant.
3. The seeds of this plant used as food.
4. (slang) The types of automobile modifications characteristic of a rice burner.
5. An instance of customization of a user interface.

Verb

1. To squeeze through a ricer; to mash or make into rice-sized pieces (especially potatoes).
2. To harvest wild rice (Zizania sp.)
3. To throw rice at a person (usually at a wedding).
4. To customize the user interface of a computer system, e.g. a desktop environment.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹaɪs/

Etymology

From Middle English rys, from Old French ris, from Old Italian riso, risi, from Byzantine Greek ὄρυζα (óruza), from an Eastern Iranian language related to Middle Persian blnc (*brinǰ), Northern Kurdish riz (beyond Euphrates) and Zazaki riz. Theorized to come to Iranian languages from Sanskrit व्रीहि (vrīhi).
Prior to Sanskrit, it is speculated to be possibly a borrowing from a Dravidian language (compare Proto-Dravidian *wariñci (“rice”)), or from Austroasiatic languages further east.
Alternatively Byzantine Greek ὄρυζα (óruza) is said to be from Hebrew אורז (órez), from South Arabian areez ultimately from Old Tamil 𑀅𑀭𑀺𑀘𑀺 (arici).