שעורה
s‘ora/se(ʔ)oˈʁa/feminine
The Hebrew word for barley is שעורה (s‘ora).
The term refers to the plant *Hordeum vulgare* or its grains.
Meaning: Hordeum vulgare or its grains (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced s‘ora (/se(ʔ)oˈʁa/).
Did you know?
- The word שעורה is used in Hebrew to describe both the grain and a 'stye' on the eyelid. A patient telling a doctor they have שעורה could be talking about an eye infection rather than a cereal crop.
- In the Bible, שעורה was often viewed as the 'poor man's grain' compared to wheat. It was the primary food for those who could not afford the more expensive wheat.
- In ancient Jewish law, barley was used as a measure of value and tax. Certain tithes were calculated specifically based on the yield of שעורה.
Examples in context
- שעורה היא המוצר הראשי שלנו.Barley is our main product.This sentence shows how to use שעורה to describe a main product.Tatoeba #5468799 by fekundulo, translation #275935 by CM
- הוא קנה שק של שעורה.hu kana shak shel sha'ura.He bought a sack of barley.
Example conversation
Rotem and Noam are looking at ingredients in a kitchen.
- רוטם Rotemנועם, יש לנו שעורה במטבח?Noam, yesh lanu seora bamitbach?Noam, do we have barley in the kitchen?
- נועם Noamכן, זה נמצא בארון.Ken, ze nimtsa baaron.Yes, it is in the cupboard.
- רוטם Rotemאני רוצה להכין נשנוש עם שעורה.Ani rotza lehakin nishnush im seora.I want to make a snack with barley.
- נועם Noamנשמע כמו רעיון מצוין.Nishma kmo raayon metzuyan.That sounds like a great idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “barley” translations and entries שעורה, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
