barleycorn

[ bahr-lee-kawrn ]

/ ˈbɑr liˌkɔrn /

noun

a grain of barley.

a unit of length equal to 1/3 inch (8.5 mm).

Also barley corn. a type of basket weave that produces an allover geometric pattern.

Nearby words

barley stripe, barley sugar, barley water, barley wine, barley-bree, barleycorn, barlow, barlow's disease, barlow, joel, barm, barm cake

Origin of barleycorn

1375–1425; late Middle English. See barley¹, corn¹

Definition for barleycorn (2 of 2)

Barleycorn

[ bahr-lee-kawrn ]

/ ˈbɑr liˌkɔrn /

noun

John. John Barleycorn.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barleycorn

The histology of the barleycorn is best studied by the examination of sections under the microscope.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 4|Various
This belief also associates itself with Barleycorn's second coming; so that the two events become identified at last.
Preface to Androcles and the Lion|George Bernard Shaw
Barleycorn, John, the exhilarating spirit distilled from barley personified.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia|Edited by Rev. James Wood
Few of them bore the somatic signs of intimacy with Mr. Barleycorn.
Idling in Italy|Joseph Collins

"Thank you," said the woman; and she gave the fairy twelve shillings, which was the price of the barleycorn.
Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales|Hans Christian Andersen

British Dictionary definitions for barleycorn

barleycorn

/ (ˈbɑːlɪˌkɔːn) /

noun

a grain of barley, or barley itself

an obsolete unit of length equal to one third of an inch

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

Word Origin and History for barleycorn

barleycorn

late 14c., from barley + corn (n.). Perhaps to distinguish the barley plant or the grain from its products. In Britain and U.S., the grain is used mainly to prepare liquor, hence personification as John Barleycorn (1620) in popular ballad, and many now-obsolete figures of speech, e.g. to wear a barley cap (16c.) "to be drunk."