Phrase guide

barley water

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A soft drink made by boiling pearl barley with water, and adding flavouring and sugar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A decoction of barley used as a nutritive and demulcent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

used to feed infants

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: broth

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ancient Greek: χυλός (khulós) — a drink made by boiling pearl barley with water
  • Italian: orzata — a drink made by boiling pearl barley with water
  • Turkish: arpa suyu — a drink made by boiling pearl barley with water