Standard Lemma guide

bere

noun · 2 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /bɪə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /bɪɚ/
  • rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)
  • homophone: beer
  • homophone: bier
  • homophone: bear (New Zealand, cheer–chair merger)
  • UK: /bɛə/
  • US: /bɛɚ/
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Barley, especially four-rowed barley or six-rowed barley.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A pillowcase; a fabric case or covering as for a pillow; a pillowbere.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English bere (“barley”), from Old English bere (“barley”), from Proto-West Germanic *barī, from Proto-Germanic *baraz (“barley”). Compare Welsh bara (“bread”), Latin far (“emmer”), Serbo-Croatian бра̏шно/brȁšno (“flour”), Albanian bar (“grass”), Ancient Greek Φήρον (Phḗron, “plant deity”). See also: barley.

See bear (“pillowcase”)

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: escourgeon — six-rowed barley
  • German: Frühgerste — six-rowed barley
  • German: Futtergerste — six-rowed barley
  • Irish: eorna bheag — six-rowed barley
  • Walloon: scweron — six-rowed barley