barley
1 Americannoun
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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.
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the grain of this plant, used as food and in making beer, ale, and whiskey.
noun
plural
barleys-
a truce or quarter, especially in children's games; parley.
noun
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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
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the grain of any of these grasses, used in making beer and whisky and for soups, puddings, etc See also pearl barley
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dialect a cry for truce or respite from the rules of a game
Etymology
Origin of barley1
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
Origin of barley2
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 ( bower 1, byre ) + *lagu law 1; compare bylaw ( def. )
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.
Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction of the immune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
The sweet and soft nut plays a large role in traditional mountain cooking and tradition because in places where you couldn’t grow wheat or barley, there were still chestnut trees.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026
Starters can be made with wheat, rye, barley, teff, millet, or other grains, each supplying a distinct set of nutrients that microbes depend on to grow.
From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026
Weekday fare featured potatoes, beans, barley and sturdy soups whose main ingredients included lentils and farfel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
The area’s available wild cereals were not nearly as useful as wheat and barley.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.