barleycorn
noun
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barleycorn
1 American
[bahr-lee-kawrn]
/ ˈbɑr liˌkɔrn /
noun
-
a grain of barley.
-
a unit of length equal to 1/3 inch (8.5 millimeters).
-
Also barley corn a type of basket weave that produces an allover geometric pattern.
Barleycorn
2
American
[bahr-lee-kawrn]
/ ˈbɑr liˌkɔrn /
noun
barleycorn
British
/ ˈbɑːlɪˌkɔːn /
noun
-
a grain of barley, or barley itself
-
an obsolete unit of length equal to one third of an inch
Etymology
Origin of barleycorn
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; see origin at barley 1, corn 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I started reading it and on page one the characters are all singing "Barleycorn" by Johnny Flynn.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2022
The New York Times took a cheekier approach with its front page headline: “John Barleycorn Died Peacefully at the Toll of 12.”
From New York Times • Jan. 1, 2020
Chicago bars using facial detection software Need to know how crowded John Barleycorn is right now?
From Chicago Tribune • Nov. 16, 2011
John Barleycorn, meanwhile, is tortured, killed and resuscitated, but in this parable of the agricultural cycle, it seems to me he is something of a straw man.
From The Guardian • Apr. 8, 2010
The woman rode double with Rory, her son with Tom Barleycorn, the old men with Horse and Satin.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
