barleycorn

¹

[ bahr-lee-kawrn ]

noun

1. barley ¹( def 1 ).
2. a grain of barley.
3. a unit of length equal to 1/3 inch (8.5 millimeters).
4. Also barley corn. a type of basket weave that produces an allover geometric pattern.

Barleycorn

²

[ bahr-lee-kawrn ]

noun

1. John. John Barleycorn.

barleycorn

/ ˈbɑːlɪˌkɔːn /

noun

1. a grain of barley, or barley itself
2. an obsolete unit of length equal to one third of an inch

Word History and Origins

Origin of barleycorn¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; barley ¹, corn ¹

Example Sentences

They had cheese and milk from the goats that shared the caves with the singers, even some oats and barleycorn and dried fruit laid by during the long summer.

From Literature

Each limb of the cross represents the fascinum at right angles with the body, and presented towards a barleycorn, one of the symbols of the yoni.

From Project Gutenberg

Another version runs thus: Snail, snail, put out your horns, I'll give you bread and barleycorns.

From Project Gutenberg

The declination of a magnetick needle above a terrella is shown by means of several equal iron wires, of the length of a barleycorn, arranged along a meridian.

From Project Gutenberg

Michael would have been perfectly content to believe that it meant 'whole barleycorns,' until Mr. Cray suggested that it might be equivalent to the Latin 'mola,' meaning 'grain coarsely ground.'

From Project Gutenberg