Old English bereærn "barn," literally "barley house," from bere "barley" (see barley) + aern "house," metathesized from *rann, *rasn (cognates: Old Norse rann, Gothic razn "house," Old English rest "resting place;" sealtærn "saltworks").
Barley was not always the only crop grown as the data recovered at Bishopstone might suggest but it is always the most commonly represented, followed by wheat and then rye and oats. [C.J. Arnold, "An Archaeology of the Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms," 1988, p.36]
Another word for "barn" in Old English was beretun, "barley enclosure" (from tun "enclosure, house"), which accounts for the many Barton place names on the English map, and the common surname. Barn door used figuratively for "broad target" and "great size" since 1540s.
实用例句
1. The barn was filled with the sour-sweet smell of fresh dung.
谷仓里弥漫着新粪酸甜的气味。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The rooster chased me across the dirt floor of the barn.
公鸡追着我跑过谷仓的泥土地面。
来自柯林斯例句
3. In 1979, Liquor Barn thrived as a discount merchandiser.