barley

noun

bar·ley | \ ˈbär-lē

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

Examples of barley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Worldwide barley is used for all sorts of purposes, mostly feeding livestock. — Seth Borenstein, The Seattle Times, "Global warming to leave us crying in our costlier beer," 17 Oct. 2018 BETA GLUCANS Long-chain sugar molecules found in the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, algae, lichens, and grains, such as oats and barley. — Allure, "The Skin-Care Glossary: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything You Need to Know," 17 Aug. 2018 In addition to the jail food—meals of rice and barley plus side dishes—detainees who haven’t been convicted are allowed to receive canned food or snacks brought by visitors. — Megumi Fujikawa, WSJ, "Can Ghosn Be Detained Indefinitely? Yes, Unless He Confesses," 10 Dec. 2018 Barley malt syrup Made from sprouted (aka malted) barley, this syrup imparts a very strong nutty, molasses-like flavor to baked goods. — Laura Sant, Good Housekeeping, "How To Bake With 12 Healthy Sugar Substitutes," 1 May 2017 Return beef to pot along with squash, carrots, beef stock, and barley. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Instant Pot Beef and Squash Stew," 9 Jan. 2019 The farmers grow rapeseed, flaxseed, barley and wheat there now. — Greg Bishop, SI.com, "The Valley of Darkness," 13 Apr. 2018 According to a paper published in 2016 in the journal PNAS, Iron Gates hunter-gatherers were eating domesticated wheat and barley as early as 8,600 years ago, more than 400 years before the Anatolian farmers arrived. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "When Farmers and Foragers First Met," 24 Oct. 2018 The smell of peat from barley stored here in Victorian times still lingered in the air. — Liza Weisstuch, New York Times, "The Whisky Chronicles," 23 Apr. 2018

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.

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16 May 2019

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The first known use of barley was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for barley

barley

noun

English Language Learners Definition of barley

: a kind of grain used for food and to make beer and whiskey also : the plant on which this grain grows

See the full definition for barley in the English Language Learners Dictionary

barley

noun

bar·ley | \ ˈbär-lē

Kids Definition of barley

: a cereal grass grown for its grain which is used mostly to feed farm animals or make malt

barley

noun

bar·ley | \ ˈbär-lē

Medical 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