Hordeaceae
/ˌhɔːrdiˈeɪsiː/noun
A botanical family name formerly used for grasses related to barley, now generally treated within the grass family Poaceae.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from Latin hordeum, “barley,” a crop central to ancient bread, beer, ritual offerings, and early agricultural societies.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰerzdʰ-
“A reconstructed root associated with barley or a barley-like grain; the exact reconstruction is uncertain.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κριθή (krithḗ)
“Barley; an early Greek term for the cultivated grain, though not the direct source of the Latin name.”
Classical Latin
Latin
hordeum
“Barley.”
18th Century
Botanical Latin
Hordeum
“The genus name for barley and closely related grasses.”
19th Century
Botanical Latin
Hordeaceae
“A family-level botanical name formed from Hordeum with the taxonomic suffix -aceae.”
Modern English
English
Hordeaceae
“An obsolete or alternative family name associated with barley-like grasses, usually included in Poaceae.”