barley

1
[ bahr-lee ]
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noun
  1. a widely distributed cereal plant belonging to the genus Hordeum, of the grass family, having awned flowers that grow in tightly bunched spikes, with three small additional spikes at each node.

  2. the grain of this plant, used as food and in making beer, ale, and whiskey.

Origin of barley

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English bærlīc (adj.), equivalent to bær- (variant of bere barley; akin to Old Norse barr barley, Gothic barizeins made of barley, Serbo-Croatian brȁšno flour, Latin far emmer; all <European Indo-European *bHaer- spike, prickle, perhaps akin to beard) + -līc -ly

Words Nearby barley

Other definitions for barley (2 of 2)

barley2
[ bahr-lee ]

noun,plural bar·leys.Scot. and North England.
  1. a truce or quarter, especially in children's games; parley.

Origin of barley

2
1805–15; probably to be identified with Scots barley, burley, birlie local customary law (Compare birleyman arbiter, birleycourt neighborhood court), variant of birlaw, Medieval Latin birlawe, birelegia, birelag <Old Norse *býjarlagu, equivalent to býjar, genitive singular of býr town (cf. bower1, byre) + *lagulaw1; compare bylaw

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How to use barley in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barley (1 of 2)

barley1

/ (ˈbɑːlɪ) /


noun
  1. any of various erect annual temperate grasses of the genus Hordeum, esp H. vulgare, that have short leaves and dense bristly flower spikes and are widely cultivated for grain and forage

  2. the grain of any of these grasses, used in making beer and whisky and for soups, puddings, etc: See also pearl barley

Origin of barley

1
Old English bærlīc (adj); related to bere barley, Old Norse barr barley, Gothic barizeins of barley, Latin farīna flour

British Dictionary definitions for barley (2 of 2)

barley2

/ (ˈbɑːlɪ) /


sentence substitute
  1. dialect a cry for truce or respite from the rules of a game

Origin of barley

2
C18: probably changed from parley

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012