Barley is a grain that is used to make food, beer, and whisky.
...fields of ripening wheat and barley.
barley in British English1
(ˈbɑːlɪ)
noun
1.
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
2.
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
barley in British English2
(ˈbɑːlɪ)
sentence substitute
dialect
a cry for truce or respite from the rules of a game
Word origin
C18: probably changed from parley
barley in American English
(ˈbɑrli)
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.
Word origin
ME barli < OE bærlic, of barley < bere, barley + -lic ( -ly1) < IE base *bhares- > farina, ON barr, grain