barley

Meaning

Noun

• A cereal of the species Hordeum vulgare, or its grains, often used as food or to make beer and other malted drinks.
• seed of Job's tears

Related

Broader meaning words

• grain, cereal

Origin

• From Middle English barly, barli, from Old English bærlīċ ("barley-like") (later referring to barley itself and grain crops of similar appearance), from bere (compare Scots bere ("six-rowed barley")), from Proto-Germanic *baraz (compare Old Norse barr, Old Norse bygg
• ), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰars- ("spike, prickle"). Equivalent to bere + -ly. See English brew