barrel
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barrel
- /ˈbæɹ(ə)l/ UK
- [ˈbæɹəɫ] UK
- /ˈbæɹəl/ US
- [ˈbæɹəɫ] US
- /ˈbɛɚəl/ US
- /ˈbɛɹəl/ US
- [ˈbɛɚəɫ] US
- /ˈbæɹəɫ/ Australia
Rhymes with -æɹəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin *barrīculum meets the phonological requirement, but fails to connect the word semantically. The alternative connection to Frankish *baril, *beril or Gothic *𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌹𐌻𐍃 (*bērils, “container for transport”), from Proto-Germanic *barilaz, *bērilaz (“barrel, jug, container”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, transport”), is more plausible as it connects not only the form of the word but also the sense; equivalent to bear + -le. Compare also Old High German biril (“jug, large pot”), Luxembourgish Bärel, Bierel (“jug, pot”), Old Norse berill (“barrel for liquids”), Old English byrla (“barrel of a horse, trunk, body”). More at bear.
noun barrels · barrell
- A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends (heads). The word is sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum. Near-synonym: cask
- Such a cask of a certain size, holding one-eighth of what a tun holds. (See a diagram comparing cask sizes.) Barrels came in firkins, nine gallons; kilderkins, eighteen gallons; halves, twenty-seven gallons; barrels, thirty-six gallons and hogsheads, fifty-four.
- The quantity which constitutes a full barrel: the volume or weight this represents varies by local law and custom. Again, by 28 Hen. VIII, cap. 14, it is re-enacted that the tun of wine should contain 252 gallons, a butt of Malmsey 126 gallons, a pipe 126 gallons, a tercian or puncheon 84 gallons, a hogshead 63 gallons, a tierce 41 gallons, a barrel 31.5 gallons, a rundlet 18.5 gallons.
- A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case the barrel of a windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled.
- A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged. You're shooting stars from the barrel of your eyes
- A venturi (in carburetion).
- A ceiling-mounted tube from which lights are suspended. Moreover, it adds to difficulties in adjusting/servicing lamps located over high scenery, ceilings etc., where the barrel networks cannot be lowered or reached.
- Any tube.
- The hollow basal part of a feather.
- The part of a clarinet which connects the mouthpiece and upper joint, and resembles a barrel.
- A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.
- A waste receptacle. Throw it into the trash barrel.
- The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.
- A jar. And ſhe ſaid, As the Lord thy God liueth, I haue not a cake, but an handfull of meale in a barrell, and a little oyle in a cruſe: [...]
- Any of the dark-staining regions in the somatosensory cortex of rodents, etc., where somatosensory inputs from the contralateral side of the body come in from the thalamus.
- A statistic derived from launch angle and exit velocity of a ball hit in play. For quotations using this term, see Citations:barrel.
verb barrels · barreling · barrelling · barreled · barrelled
- To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels.
- To move quickly or in an uncontrolled manner. He came barrelling around the corner and I almost hit him.
- To assume the shape of a barrel; specifically, of the image on a computer display, television, etc., to exhibit barrel distortion, where the sides bulge outwards.
- To bet consecutively on multiple streets.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: bbl, barrelful, cask, drum, gun barrel, tank, cistern, block, shelf, bucket, fountain, tub, hottie, carburetor, loop, oil
Translations
Every language
noun round vessel made from staves bound with a hoop
| Español | barril, tonel, cuñete, bocoy, barrica |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 통 tong |
| 日本語 | 樽 taru |
| 中文 | 桶 tǒng |
| हिन्दी | पीपा pīpā |
| Kiswahili | pipa |
| Português | barril |
| Français | tonneau, barrique, futaille |
| Deutsch | Fass, Tonne, Gebinde |
| Italiano | barile, botte |
| Ελληνικά | βαρέλι varéli |
| Română | butoi, bute |
| Русский | бо́чка bóčka |
| Tiếng Việt | thùng rượu, thùng tonneau, thùng tròn |
| العربية | بِرْمِيل birmīl |
| עברית | חָבִית khavít |
noun quantity
| Español | barril |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 배럴 baereol |
| 日本語 | バレル bareru |
| 中文 | 桶 tǒng |
| हिन्दी | बैरल bairal |
| Português | barril, tonel |
| Français | baril |
| Deutsch | Barrel |
| Русский | ба́ррель bárrɛlʹ |
| עברית | חָבִית khavít |
noun solid drum, hollow cylinder or case
| Deutsch | Trommel, Hohlzylinder, Gehäuse, Hülse, Gewindehülse, Zylinder |
|---|---|
| Русский | бараба́н barabán |
noun metallic tube of a gun
| Español | cañón |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 총열 chong'yeol, 총신 chongsin |
| 日本語 | 銃身 jūshin |
| 中文 | 炮管 pàoguǎn, 槍管 /枪管 qiāngguǎn |
| Kiswahili | kasiba |
| Português | cano |
| Français | canon |
| Deutsch | Lauf, Gewehrrohr, Gewehrlauf |
| Italiano | canna |
| Ελληνικά | κάννη kánni |
| Română | țeavă |
| Русский | ствол stvol, ду́ло dúlo |
| Tiếng Việt | nòng |
| العربية | مَاسُورَة māsūra, سَبَطَانَة sabaṭāna |
| עברית | קָנֶה kané |
noun zoology: hollow basal part of a feather
| Deutsch | Federspule, Spindel |
|---|
noun part of a clarinet
| Español | caño |
|---|---|
| Français | barillet |
| Deutsch | Birne, Fass, Fässchen |
| Русский | бочо́нок bočónok |
noun waste receptacle
| Deutsch | Abfallbehälter, Abfalltonne, Abfalleimer, Mülltonne, Mülleimer, Mistkübel |
|---|
noun ribs and belly of a horse or pony
| Deutsch | Rumpf |
|---|
verb put or pack in a barrel or barrels
| Español | embarrilar |
|---|---|
| Português | embarrilar |
| Français | embariller |
Talk about this word "barrel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/barrel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. barrel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/barrel "barrel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/barrel.Cite this
@misc{barrel_2026,
title = {barrel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/barrel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
