Groats
/ɡroʊts/noun
Coarsely crushed grain, especially oats or wheat, with the husk removed.
Did you know?Groats comes from the same Germanic root as words for grinding and grating, so its history is all about force, friction, and grain reduced by crushing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghreu-
“to rub, crush, grind”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grutą
“coarsely ground grain or grits”
Old English
English
grūt
“coarsely ground grain, hulled grain”
Middle English
English
grotes
“coarse meal or crushed grain”
Modern English
English
groats
“hulled grain, especially oats or wheat, crushed or broken into coarse pieces”