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barley

Farming
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Barley is a cereal crop grown for food, animal feed, and the production of malt for brewing.

Detailed Definition
Barley is an ancient grain cultivated in temperate regions and valued for bread, porridge, livestock feed, and malt. Its pale heads and rippling fields make it a vivid emblem of late summer and harvest. In poetry, barley may signify fertility, sustenance, prosperity, or the rewards of labour. Because it is associated with beer and seasonal celebration, it can also evoke fellowship and festivity, while flattened or blighted barley may represent hardship, failed hopes, or nature's power over human plans.
Example
Example in poetry:
A field of barley bending in the wind can create a golden image of late summer; Barley may symbolise nourishment because it has long been grown for bread and porridge; Malted barley can introduce themes of brewing, fellowship, and harvest celebration; Blighted barley may represent failed labour, hunger, or nature's indifference to human plans.
Additional Notes
Barley is one of the oldest cultivated cereals and may appear as food, livestock feed, or the source of malt used in brewing. Its pale, nodding heads give poets strong visual and kinetic imagery, especially when wind passes through a ripe field. Barley can symbolise harvest abundance, plain nourishment, fellowship, or seasonal celebration. Blighted or flattened barley suggests insecurity and failed labour. Related terms include grain, malt, sheaf, threshing, brewing, harvest, and cereal crop.
Other Meanings of “barley”
Also Known As
common barley cultivated barley bere
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