Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RICE, n. [Fr. riz or ris; It. riso; Sp. and Port. arroz; G. reiz or reiss; D. ryst; Dan. ris; L. oryza; Gr. ορυζα; Eth. rez; Ar. أَرُزٌ arozon; from the verb أَرَزَ araza, to be contracted, or to be firmly fixed. The word is common to most of the Asiatics, Persians, Turks, Armenians and Tartars.]

A plant of the genus Oryza, and its seed. There is only one species. This plant is cultivated in all warm climates, and the grain forms a large portion of the food of the inhabitants. In America, it grows chiefly on low moist land, which can be overflowed. It is a light and nutritious food, and very easy of digestion. Indeed it seems intended by the wise and benevolent Creator to be a common article of food for men in warm climates.