firkin

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch *vierdekijn, diminutive of vierde (fourth),[1] from vier (four); equivalent to fourth +‎ -kin.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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firkin (plural firkins)

  1. (British) A varying measure of capacity, usually being a quarter of a barrel; specifically, a measure equal to nine imperial gallons.
    • 1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 205:
      23 Hen. VIII, cap. 4... The barrel of beer is to hold 36 gallons, the kilderkin 18 gallons the firkin 9. But the barrel, kilderkin, and firkin of ale are to contain 32, 16, and 8 gallons.
    • 1987, Keith Dunstan, The Amber Nectar, Ringwood: Vicking O'Neil, page 81:
      Barrels came in firkins, nine gallons; kilderkins, eighteen gallons; halves, twenty-seven gallons; barrels, thirty-six gallons and hogsheads, fifty-four.
  2. (US) A small wooden vessel or cask of indeterminate size, used for butter, lard, etc.
  3. A measurement for the mass of butter, equalling 56 pounds.

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “firkin”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

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