barley
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barley¹
- /ˈbɑɹli/ US
- /ˈbɑːli/ UK
Sounds like Bali (non-rhotic) · Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)li
Where it comes from
From Middle English barly, barli, from Old English bærlīċ (“barley-like”, adjective) (later referring to barley itself and grain crops of similar appearance), from bere (“barley”) (compare Scots bere (“six-rowed barley”)), from Proto-Germanic *baraz (compare Old Norse barr), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- (“spike, prickle”). Equivalent to bere + -ly. See English brew.
noun barleys
- A cereal of the species Hordeum vulgare or its grains, often used as food or to make beer and other malted drinks.
- The seed of Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi).
Barley²
Where it comes from
* The village in Hertfordshire is from "Beora's ley," from *Beora + -ley (“clearing, lea”). The former is a personal name from Old English bera (“bear”).
* The village in Lancashire is from Old English bar (“boar”) or bere (“barley”) + leah (“clearing”).
* As an English surname, from the noun barley. As a south German surname, spelling variant of Behrle, Beerli, themselves related to the noun bear.
proper noun Barleys
- A village in Hertfordshire, England.
- A village in Lancashire, England.
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: barleycorn, semolina, wheat, corn, candy, grain, malt, malted, crop, cane, pearled, mow, bree, rowed, cwb, unmalted
Translations
Every language
Talk about this word "barley." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/barley. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. barley. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/barley "barley." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/barley.Cite this
@misc{barley_2026,
title = {barley},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/barley},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
