anker
Americannoun
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ankers
plural
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a unit of volume formerly used for wine and distilled liquor in some European countries and equal to about 10 gallons, with the exact amount depending on context. The anker was also used in some places settled by the Dutch, such as South Africa and parts of New York.
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a keg holding about 10 gallons.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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The Dutch anker, formerly also used in England, contained about 10 of the old wine gallons, or 8? imperial gallons.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster
And the fift we cast anker in a reasonable good harborow called New Port vnder an Island some eight leagues from Cibo, and within three leagues from the English port.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation. Vol. XIII. America. Part II. by Richard Hakluyt
And you must anker surely: for there goeth a great tyde: for the Sea runneth there as swiftly.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation. Vol. XIII. America. Part II. by Richard Hakluyt
To anker in the sayd harbour, you must not ride farther then fiue or sixe cables length from the sayd hauen.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation. Vol. XIII. America. Part II. by Richard Hakluyt
The next day at night, our planters left Santa Cruz, and came all aboord, and the next morning after, being the 25 of Iune we weyed anker, and departed from Santa Cruz.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation. Vol. XIII. America. Part II. by Richard Hakluyt
They haue no kind of yron worke belonging to these vessels, saue only their ankers.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 Asia, Part III by Richard Hakluyt
Item, 2 ankers of colouring stuff at 4 gallons per anker, price as usual.
From Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The kegs in which Hollands is mostly exported are ankers and half-ankers.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Sir Edward Belcher
"Three gross of ankers, you say?" queried the Major.
From The Mayor of Troy by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Vpon the twelft of October wee wayed our ankers at Ratcliffe and went to Blackwall.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11 by Richard Hakluyt
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