BARLEYCORN

barley, barleycorn

(noun) a grain of barley

barleycorn

(noun) a grain of barley

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

barleycorn (plural barleycorns)

A grain of barley.

(obsolete) The length of such a grain; a unit of length of approximately one third (or sometimes one quarter) of an inch or eight millimetres, still used as a basis for shoe sizes

(architecture, woodworking) A small groove between two mouldings.

Source: Wiktionary

Bar"ley*corn`, n. Etym: [See Corn.]

1. A grain or "corn" of barley.

2. Formerly , a measure of length, equal to the average length of a grain of barley; the third part of an inch. John Barleycorn, a humorous personification of barley as the source of malt liquor or whisky.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition