barleycorn
/ˈbɑrliˌkɔrn/
noun
- A grain of barley, the seed of the barley plant.
- The farmer scattered barleycorn across the field.
- Each barleycorn is small and oval-shaped.
- Barleycorn is used to make malt for beer and whiskey.
- An old unit of length equal to about one-third of an inch, based on the length of a grain of barley.
- Three barleycorns make up one inch in the old system.
- The tailor measured the cloth in barleycorns.
- In medieval times, a barleycorn was used to measure shoe sizes.