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

Gluten is a combination of proteins often found in wheat, barley, and rye. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2025

Services hit include quality control work around lab testing for cyclospora, a parasite that can occur in spinach, as well as for glyphosate pesticide in barley. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025

The savory, earthy condiment miso, common to Japanese cuisine, is made by fermenting cooked soybeans, salt and kōji, a type of mold from the fungus Aspergillus oryzae that grows on rice or barley. —Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 7 Apr. 2025

Fin Point Oyster Bar & Grille (which is always crowded) offers super selections including roasted-mushroom flatbread, roasted-beet salad with pomegranate seeds, and the roasted salmon featuring baked acorn squash with black barley. —Debbi Kickham, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 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