firkin

views updated May 18 2018

fir·kin / ˈfərkən/ • n. chiefly hist. a small cask used chiefly for liquids, butter, or fish. ∎  a unit of liquid volume equal to half a kilderkin (about 11 gallons or 41 liters).

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Firkin

views updated Jun 27 2018

Firkin

a measure of quantity; half a kilderkin, 1465; as a small cask for liquids, fish, butter, etc.

Examples: firkin of ale [8 gallons], 1465; of beer [9 gallons], 1600; of butter [9 gallons], 1745; of eels [10 1/2 gallons], 1600; of herrings [8 gallons], 1600; of marlvoisie [‘malmsey wine’], 1828; of mead, 1713; of salmon, [10 1/2 gallons], 1600.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms

firkin

views updated Jun 11 2018

firkin †cask; quarter of a ‘barrel’ XV (ferdekyn, ferken). prob. — MDu. *vierdekijn, dim. of vierde FOURTH; see -KIN.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

firkin

views updated May 18 2018

firkin A quarter of a barrel of beer, 9 imperial gallons (40 L); also 56 lb (25.5 kg) of butter.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

Firkin

All Sources -
Updated Aug 08 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like