Job’s Tears

Job's tears

Job's tears, also known as adlay or adlay millet, is a tall grain-bearing perennial tropical plant of the family Poaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia and introduced to Northern China and India in remote antiquity, and elsewhere cultivated in gardens as an annual. It has been naturalized in the southern United States and the New World tropics. In its native environment it is grown at higher elevation areas where rice and corn do not grow well. Job's tears are also commonly sold as Chinese pearl barley, though true barley belongs to a completely different genus.

Tears

Tears are a transparent fluid secreted primarily by the lacrimal glands found in the eyes of all land mammals. According to the mode of production, tears are classified into four types: basal, closed eye, emotional, and reflex. The basal rate of tear secretion is ~0.5–2.2 μL/min, and irritation can increase secretion by up to ~100-fold, reaching ~300 μL/min. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The four types of tears differ significantly in their composition.

job

Symbol

1. ISO 639-3 language code for Joba.

Noun

1. A task.
2. An economic role for which a person is paid.

tears

Noun

1. plural of tear (“liquid from the eyes”)
2. Viscous streaks left on the inside of the glass when certain wines are swirled around before tasting.

Verb

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of tear