barley

noun

bar·​ley ˈbär-lē 

: 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 distillery also doubled down on keeping production local, adding on-site bottling and helping revive barley farming on Islay itself. —Emily Price, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

What Gluten Actually Does in the Body Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that offers structure, support, and elasticity to food. —Christina Manian, Health, 29 May 2026

Secondly, beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber that naturally occurs in things like oats and barley, increase the number of good bacteria, kill the bad, and lower cholesterol levels at the same time. —Mélanie Nauche, Vogue, 28 May 2026

That way, people can get a taste of the unadulterated baseline recipe, which features a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley. —Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing barley

• barley-bree
• barley-broo
• barley sugar
• barley wine

Rhymes for barley

• charley
• charlie
• marly
• bizarrely

Kids Definition

barley

noun

bar·​ley ˈbär-lē 

: 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 

: 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