grain

About This Root

From Latin grānum (grain, seed, small hard particle). Extends from agriculture to texture: grain (a cereal seed), granule (a tiny grain), granite (a "grainy" stone), and ingrained (worked into the grain, deeply embedded). Filigree also connects here through the idea of fine "grain-like" decorative work. The root links the farmer's seed to the texture of stone and wood.

Associated Words