Barleycorn
Pronunciation : Bar"ley*corn`
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [See Corn.]
Definition : 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