Scottish and Northern English dialect term for the first sprouting or growth of grain crops, especially the early shoots of barley or oats in spring.
From Middle English and Scots; possibly related to Old Norse 'brerr' or Germanic roots meaning 'growth' or 'sprouting'; primarily used in Scottish agricultural vocabulary.
Scottish farmers had specific vocabulary for each stage of grain growth because their livelihoods depended on it—'braird' captured that crucial moment when you could finally see if your winter planting had survived and would produce a harvest.
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