Reading Theme:

Language:

Font Size:

Malt Definition: Sprouted Barley & Malt Beer Explained (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：sprouted barley grain (malt)

malt 🔊

/mɔːlt/

A type of grain, usually barley, that has been allowed to sprout (grow a little shoot) and then dried. It's a key ingredient for making beer and whisky because it provides sugar and flavor.

Close-up of malted barley grains with rootlets on wood

sprouted barley grain 🔊

➕

/ˈsprəʊtɪd ˈbɑːli ɡreɪn/

Malt is grain (typically barley) that has been allowed to germinate and then dried. It provides sugar and flavor essential for beer and whisky production.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'mealt', related to 'melt', referring to the process of sprouting grain.

💡 Mnemonic

Malt makes malted milk and malt whisky—think of grain sprouting for sweet flavor.

📖 Example

The brewery gets its sweet and rich flavor from the special malt they import from Scotland. 🔊 The brewery gets its sweet and rich flavor from the special malt they import from Scotland.

🔗 Collocations

malt barley – Barley that has been malted for brewing.

malt extract – A sweet syrup made from malted grain used in baking and brewing.

malt liquor – A type of alcoholic drink made primarily from malted barley.

🔄 Synonyms

grain (n.) – The seed of a cereal plant, including barley used for malting.

barley (n.) – The specific cereal grain most often malted.

cereal (n.) – A grass cultivated for its edible grain; includes barley as a type.

🚫 Antonyms

raw grain (n.) – Grain that has not undergone the malting process.

unmalted barley (n.) – Barley that has not been sprouted or dried.

🌱 Derivatives

maltose (n.) – A sugar produced from malted grain.

malting (n.) – The process of converting grain into malt.

malted (adj.) – Having been turned into malt or containing malt.

📖 Cultural Story

Malt has been used for millennia in brewing. The Proto-Germanic root '*maltą' means 'to dissolve', reflecting how malting converts starches into fermentable sugars.

Meaning 2：malt beer (malt)

malt 🔊

/mɔːlt/

A type of alcoholic drink, especially beer, that is made from malt. It often refers to darker and stronger-flavored beers.

malt beer 🔊

➕

/mɔːlt bɪər/

A type of alcoholic drink, typically beer, made primarily from malted barley. It often has a darker color and richer, sweeter flavor compared to other beers.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

After the game, we went to a pub to relax and enjoy a cold glass of dark malt. 🔊 After the game, we went to a pub to relax and enjoy a cold glass of dark malt.

🔗 Collocations

dark malt – A malt beer that is deep in color and has a roasted flavor.

malt whisky – Whisky made from a mash of malted barley.

malt drink – A non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverage based on malt extract.

🔄 Synonyms

beer (n.) – An alcoholic drink made from fermented malted barley, hops, and water.

ale (n.) – A type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, often malt-forward.

stout (n.) – A dark, rich beer made from roasted malt or barley.

🚫 Antonyms

light beer (n.) – A beer with lower alcohol and calorie content, often not malt-heavy.

lager (n.) – A type of beer that uses bottom-fermenting yeast and is typically lighter in malt profile.

🌱 Derivatives

malty (adj.) – Having a flavor or aroma of malt.

maltiness (n.) – The quality of being malty.