Definition of barley
: 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
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Recent Examples of barley from the Web
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The pallet, a 5-foot-tall stack of about 40 50-pound bags of barley, takes about an hour to unload.
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Made with boiled or steamed cow or pig's intestines, it's stuffed with barley, noodles and -- of course -- blood.
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Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by consuming the gluten protein in wheat, rye and barley, Jericho's team writes in Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.
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In beer, the sugar comes from the starch in malted cereal grain, typically barley.
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The experiment involves a small canister that, once on the moon, will mix yeast with wort, the mixture of barley and other ingredients that give beer its flavor, to cause fermentation and carbonation.
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The beer was made with grains descended from barley that spent five months in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barley'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of barley
Middle English barly, from Old English bærlic of barley; akin to Old English bere barley, Latin far spelt
First Known Use: before 12th century
BARLEY Defined for English Language Learners
barley
playDefinition of barley for English Language Learners
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: a kind of grain used for food and to make beer and whiskey; also : the plant on which this grain grows
BARLEY Defined for Kids
barley
playDefinition of barley for Students
: a cereal grass grown for its grain which is used mostly to feed farm animals or make malt
Medical Dictionary
barley
playMedical Definition of barley
: 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
Learn More about barley
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See words that rhyme with barley Spanish Central: Translation of barley Nglish: Translation of barley for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of barley for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barley
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