English
barrel
Etymology

From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil, of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈbæɹ(ə)l/, [ˈbæɹəɫ]
  • (America) IPA: /ˈbæɹəl/, [ˈbæɹəɫ], /ˈbɛɚəl/, /ˈbɛɹəl/, [ˈbɛɚəɫ]
  • (Australia) IPA: /ˈbæɹəɫ/
Noun

barrel (plural barrels)

  1. (countable) 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 (head). Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
    a cracker barrel
    1. Such a cask of a certain size, holding one-eighth of what a tun#Noun holds. (See a diagram comparing cask sizes.)
      Hypernyms: cask
      Coordinate terms: hogshead, pipe, puncheon, rundlet, tertian, tierce, tun
  2. The quantity which constitutes a full barrel: the volume or weight this represents varies by local law and custom.
  3. 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.
  4. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.
    • 2010, Deftones, Beauty School:
      You're shooting stars from the barrel of your eyes
  5. (television) A ceiling-mounted tube from which lights are suspended.
    • 2013, Gerald Millerson, Lighting for TV and Film, page 325:
      Moreover, it adds to difficulties in adjusting/servicing lamps located over high scenery, ceilings etc., where the barrel networks cannot be lowered or reached.
    • 2013, Brian Fitt, Joe Thornley, Lighting Technology, page 118:
      The barrel, which is usually from 2.0 m to 2.5 m long, and capable of lifting loads up to 120 kg, is suspended from the main housing which contains the motor gearbox unit, etc.
  6. (archaic) A tube.
  7. (zoology) The hollow basal part of a feather.
  8. (music) The part of a clarinet which connects the mouthpiece and upper joint, and looks rather like a barrel (1).
  9. (surfing) A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.
  10. (US, specifically New England) A waste receptacle.
    Throw it into the trash barrel.
  11. The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.
  12. (obsolete) A jar.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, 1 Kings 17:12 ↗, column 2:
      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: [...]
      New International Version translation: “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. [...]
  13. (biology) 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.
  14. (baseball) A statistic derived from launch angle and exit velocity of a ball hit in play.
Synonyms
  • (cylindrical container, or cask of a certain size) bbl (abbreviation)
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Verb

barrel (third-person singular simple present barrels, present participle barrelling or barreling, simple past and past participle barrelled or barreled)

  1. (transitive) To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels.
  2. (intransitive) To move quickly or in an uncontrolled manner.
    He came barrelling around the corner and I almost hit him.
  3. (intransitive) 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.
    Coordinate term: pincushion
Translations Translations

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