barley

barley
\ \ [OE] The Old English word for ‘barley’ was bære or bere. It came from an Indo- European base *bhar- which also gave Latin farīnaflour’ (from which English gets farinaceous [17]) and Old Norse farrbarley’. Barley (Old English bærlic) was in fact originally an adjective formed from this (like princely based on prince), and it was not until the early twelfth century that it came to be used as a noun.
\ \ A barn [OE] was originally a building for storing barley. The Old English word ber(e)n was a compound formed from bere and ern or ærnhouse’ (which may be related to English rest).
\ \ Cf.BARN, FARINACEOUS, FARRAGO

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • BARLEY — (Heb. שְׂעוֹרָה; se orah), one of the seven species (see food ) with which Ereẓ Israel was blessed (Deut. 8:8). In biblical times barley bread was a staple food and was extensively cultivated, especially as it grows even in poor soil and in areas …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Barley — Bar ley, n. [OE. barli, barlich, AS. b[ae]rlic; bere barley + l[=i]c (which is prob. the same as E. like, adj., or perh. a form of AS. le[=a]c leek). AS. bere is akin to Icel, barr barley, Goth. barizeins made of barley, L. far spelt; cf. W.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Barley — steht für: einen Ort in England, siehe Barley (Hertfordshire) eine US amerikanische Automobilmarke 1922 1924, siehe Barley (Auto) Barley ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Brian Barley (1942–1971), kanadischer Jazzmusiker (Klarinette,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • barley — O.E. bærlic, originally an adjective, of barley, from bere barley (from P.Gmc. *bariz, *baraz) + lic body, like. First element is related to O.N. barr barley, and cognate with L. far (gen. farris) coarse grain, meal; probably from PIE *bhars… …   Etymology dictionary

  • barley — [bär′lē] n. [ME barli < OE bærlic, of barley < bere, barley + lic ( LY1) < IE base * bhares > FARINA, ON barr, grain] 1. a cereal grass (Hordeum vulgare and related species) with dense, bearded spikes of flowers, each made up of three …   English World dictionary

  • barley — ► NOUN ▪ a hardy cereal with coarse bristles extending from the ears, used chiefly in brewing and animal feed. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Barley — For other uses, see Barley (disambiguation). Barley Barley field …   Wikipedia

  • barley — barley1 /bahr lee/, n. 1. 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. 2. the grain of this plant …   Universalium

  • Barley — This interesting surname of English origin is a locational name from any of the various places called Barley in Lancashire and West Yorkshire deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century bar meaning wild boar or boer meaning barley , plus leah… …   Surnames reference

  • barley — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ malted, malting ▪ roasted ▪ pearl ▪ wild ▪ feed ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • barley — n. 1 any of various hardy awned cereals of the genus Hordeum widely used as food and in malt liquors and spirits such as whisky. 2 the grain produced from this (cf. pearl barley). Phrases and idioms: barley sugar an amber coloured sweet made of… …   Useful english dictionary

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