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Barley

//ˈbɑɹli// name, noun

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A village in Hertfordshire, England. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A village in Lancashire, England. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A surname. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A cereal of the species Hordeum vulgare, or its grains, often used as food or to make beer and other malted drinks. uncountable, usually
  2. 2
    a grain of barley wordnet
  3. 3
    The seed of Job's tears. (Coix lacryma-jobi) Singapore, uncountable, usually
  4. 4
    cultivated since prehistoric times; grown for forage and grain wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English barly, barli, from Old English bærlīċ (“barley-like”, adjective) (later referring to barley itself and grain crops of similar appearance), from bere (“barley”) (compare Scots bere (“six-rowed barley”)), from Proto-Germanic *baraz (compare Old Norse barr), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- (“spike, prickle”). Equivalent to bere + -ly. See English brew.

Etymology 2

* The village in Hertfordshire is from "Beora's ley," from *Beora + -ley (“clearing, lea”). The former is a personal name from Old English bera (“bear”). * The village in Lancashire is from Old English bar (“boar”) or bere (“barley”) + leah (“clearing”). * As an English surname, from the noun barley. As a south German surname, spelling variant of Behrle, Beerli, themselves related to the noun bear.

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