'barleybrake' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'barlebrake' or 'barley-brek,' where 'barley' referred to the cereal 'barley' and 'brake' meant 'a thicket, fenced area, or fallow land'.

'barleybrake' changed from Middle English 'barlebrak' and similar spellings and eventually became the modern English word 'barleybrake' (with variant spellings 'barley-break' and 'barley break').

Initially, it meant 'a patch of land where barley grew,' but over time it also came to denote 'a country game' associated with rural festivities and social play.