Exodus 9:32. Hebrew kussemeth; Arabic chirsanat; rather "spelt," Triticum spelta. Ezekiel 4:9. Rye is a northern plant, whereas spelt was long cultivated in Egypt and the East (Herodotus ii. 36). Nutritious, hardy, like bearded wheat; but there is a smooth variety also. The root is casam, suiting the bearded form in in its meaning "to have hair," and the smooth bald variety in its meaning "to shear."