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

Ultimately all scotch whisky is made with three ingredients; water, barley yeast. —Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

The core Woodford Reserve character is still there, despite being made from malted barley with no corn or rye in the mashbill (perhaps due to the proprietary yeast strain that is used during fermentation). —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025

European names for this full moon include the fruit moon, as a number of fruits ripen as the end of summer approaches, and the barley moon, from the harvesting and threshing of barley, according to NASA. —Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025

In addition to protein and fiber, oat bread contains beta-glucan, a soluble fiber naturally found in oats, barley, and rye. —Lindsey Desoto, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2025

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