wild wheat
Definition
Noun: 1. A wild grass species considered the ancestor of domesticated wheat: "Wild wheat" refers specifically to a type of wild grass (Triticum dicoccoides) native to the Fertile Crescent. It is the primary genetic progenitor of modern cultivated durum and bread wheat.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Botanists study wild wheat to understand the genetics of disease resistance.
- The discovery of wild wheat in the region supports the theory of agriculture's origins there.
- Compared to domesticated varieties, wild wheat has smaller grains and a brittle rachis that shatters for seed dispersal.
Advanced Usage
- In archaeological and botanical contexts: The term is used to discuss plant domestication, the Neolithic Revolution, and genetic research into crop origins.
- The transition from harvesting wild wheat to cultivating it marked a major turning point in human history.
Variants and Related Words
- Einkorn ( boeoticum): Another, earlier form of wild wheat that was also domesticated.
- Emmer wheat (): The domesticated descendant of wild wheat ().
- Wild progenitor: A technical term for the wild ancestor of a cultivated plant.
Synonyms
- Wild emmer
- Triticum dicoccoides (scientific name)
Notes on Meaning
The term "wild wheat" in a strict botanical and historical sense almost exclusively refers to Triticum dicoccoides. In more general or poetic language, it could be used loosely to describe any uncultivated wheat-like grass, but its primary and precise meaning is the specific ancestral species.
Noun
-
found wild in Palestine; held to be prototype of cultivated wheat
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
Từ gần giống
