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barley definition

bar·ley (bär′lē)

noun

  1. a cereal grass (Hordeum vulgare and related species) with dense, bearded spikes of flowers, each made up of three single-seeded spikelets
  2. its grain, used in making malt, soups, etc.

Etymology: ME barli < OE bærlic, of barley < bere, barley + -lic ( -ly) < IE base *bhares- > farina, ON barr, grain

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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