barley

noun

bar·​ley ˈbär-lē How to pronounce barley (audio)
: a cereal grass (genus Hordeum and especially H. vulgare) having the flowers in dense spikes with long awns and three spikelets at each joint of the rachis
also : its seed used especially in malt beverages, breakfast foods, and stock feeds

Examples of barley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The smooth brew contains corn barley, and rye and is sold at Falls City Beer. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024 And unlike some whole grains such as barley, rye, and wheat, quinoa is gluten free. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 See what was found inside The 8,600-year-old bread dough was made of barley, wheat and peas, one of the researchers involved in the analysis, Salih Kavak, said in the release. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 A bit about farmer Brandon Rogers Rogers, 29, is a potato and barley farmer who lives in Center, Colorado, on his 1,000-acre farm, according to Fox. Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Brandon Rogers is a 29-year-old second generation potato and barley farmer from Center, Colorado. Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 7 Feb. 2024 Common dishes include rosemary oat bannock, barley pies, fresh cheeses, pancakes, savory soups, scones, tarts, braided bread, cottage cheese cakes, crepes, milk punches and more. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024 Potatoes are an important crop for Ak-Chin, which also produces cotton, barley, alfalfa and corn. The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024 The oldest distillery on Islay, dating back to 1779, Bowmore uses peat to malt its barley. Tony Sachs, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barley.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English barly, from Old English bærlic of barley; akin to Old English bere barley, Latin far spelt

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of barley was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near barley

Cite this Entry

“Barley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barley. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

barley

noun
bar·​ley ˈbär-lē How to pronounce barley (audio)
: a cereal grass with flowers in dense spikes
also : its seed used especially in malt beverages, in foods (as soups and cereals), or as feed for livestock

Medical Definition

barley

noun
bar·​ley ˈbär-lē How to pronounce barley (audio)
: a cereal grass (genus Hordeum, especially H. vulgare) having the flowers in dense spikes with long awns
also : its seed used in malt beverages and in breakfast foods and stock feeds

More from Merriam-Webster on barley

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