Barley Was the First Cereal People Measured By
Barley is an ancient grain used for bread, animal feed and beer. Three barleycorns once defined the English inch.
Barley is one of the oldest cultivated cereals, grown for over ten thousand years. It also underwrote English measurement: a statute of Edward II defined the inch as three barleycorns laid end to end, and shoe sizes in Britain and America still advance by a third of an inch — one barleycorn — to this day.
- A cereal grain. *A field of barley.*
- Barley as a modifier. *Barley water.*
- Pearl barley — polished grains. *Pearl barley in soup.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | barley | Spring barley. |
| Related | barleycorn | Three barleycorns. |
| Related | malt | Malted barley. |
| Compound | barley water | Lemon barley water. |
| Related | cereal | A cereal crop. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Most barley goes to animal feed and brewing.Only a small share is eaten directly.
- Malted barley is the base of beer.And of most whisky.
- Shoe sizes still step by a barleycorn.A third of an inch.
Barley in measurement and drink
- Barleycorn — a third of an inch, the old base unit
- Shoe sizes — still increment by that amount in Britain and America
- Malt — barley germinated and dried, for brewing and distilling
- John Barleycorn — the folk personification of the grain and its drink
- Pearl barley — grains with the husk and bran polished away
From Old English *bærlic*, an adjective meaning of barley, from *bere*, barley. The noun *barn* originally meant barley house.
Is a barn named after barley?
Yes. Old English *bereærn* meant barley house, and the word broadened to any farm store.
What is pearl barley?
Barley with the hull and bran polished off. It cooks faster than the whole grain and is common in soups.