barley¹

[bahr-lee] /ˈbɑr li/

noun

a widely distributed cereal plant belonging to the genus Hordeum, of the grass family, having awned flowers that grow in tightly bunched spikes, with three small additional spikes at each node.

the grain of this plant, used as food and in making beer, ale, and whiskey.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English; Old English bærlīc (adj.), equivalent to bær- (variant of bere barley; akin to Old Norse barr barley, Gothic barizeins made of barley, Serbo-Croatian brȁšno flour, Latin far emmer; all < European Indo-European *bH_aer- spike, prickle, perhaps akin to beard) + -līc -ly

barley²

[bahr-lee] /ˈbɑr li/

noun, plural barleys. Scot. and North England

a truce or quarter, especially in children's games; parley.

Origin

1805-15; probably to be identified with Scots barley, burley, birlie local customary law (Compare birleyman arbiter, birleycourt neighborhood court), variant of birlaw, Medieval Latin birlawe, birelegia, birelag < Old Norse *býjarlagu, equivalent to býjar genitive singular of býr town (cf. bower¹, byre) + *lagu law¹; compare by-law

Examples from the web for barley

Instead, they seem to have been used to store wild barley and wild oats.
Their results suggest that gladiators ate a diet rich in barley and beans.
Growing barley uses three times less fossil energy inputs than wheat.
Chicken pairs with nutty barley and earthy mushrooms for a hearty one-pan dinner that's made for fall.
When scissored shut, it is barley an inch wide and even comes with its own little carrying case.
barley continues in light supply and moderate demand at irregular prices.
Its also full circle recyclable needs no fertilizers and barley any water so it cause grow almost anywhere.
Usually, hot barley tea was the accompanying beverage.
We planted wheat and barley in our test garden and are malting the grains ourselves.
The mutant wheat is used for bread and pasta and the mutant barley for beer and fine whiskey.

British Dictionary definitions for barley

barley¹

/ˈbɑːlɪ/

noun

any of various erect annual temperate grasses of the genus Hordeum, esp H. vulgare, that have short leaves and dense bristly flower spikes and are widely cultivated for grain and forage

the grain of any of these grasses, used in making beer and whisky and for soups, puddings, etc See also pearl barley

Word Origin

Old English bærlīc (adj); related to bere barley, Old Norse barr barley, Gothic barizeins of barley, Latin farīna flour

barley²

/ˈbɑːlɪ/

sentence substitute

(dialect) a cry for truce or respite from the rules of a game

Word Origin

C18: probably changed from parley

Word Origin and History for barley

Old English bærlic, originally an adjective, "of barley," from bere "barley" (from Proto-Germanic *bariz, *baraz) + -lic "body, like." First element is related to Old Norse barr "barley," and cognate with Latin far (genitive farris) "coarse grain, meal;" probably from PIE *bhars- "bristle, point, projection" (see bristle (n.)).

barley in the Bible

a grain much cultivated in Egypt (Ex. 9:31) and in Palestine (Lev. 27:16; Deut. 8:8). It was usually the food of horses (1 Kings 4:28). Barley bread was used by the poorer people (Judg. 7:13; 2 Kings 4:42). Barley of the first crop was ready for the harvest by the time of the Passover, in the middle of April (Ruth 1:22; 2 Sam. 21:9). Mention is made of barley-meal (Num. 5:15). Our Lord fed five thousand with "five barley loaves and two small fishes" (John 6:9).