firkin
Americannoun
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a British unit of capacity usually equal to a quarter of a barrel.
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a small wooden vessel or tub for butter, lard, etc.
noun
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a small wooden barrel or similar container
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a unit of capacity equal to nine gallons
Etymology
Origin of firkin
1400–50; late Middle English ferdkyn, firdekyn, equivalent to ferde (variant of ferthe fourth ) + -kin -kin
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.
He uses an antique wooden firkin once used for storing flour and sugar to sit on that the older French speaking duck hunters call a “bedon.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 21, 2020
In the flesh, Ruth Davidson, 37, is a firkin of fun, speaks with a machine-gun delivery and can hold her own.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2016
Then he recollected that there was a firkin of home-brewed in the cellar that a recent thunderstorm had turned sour, and his brow grew clear.
From Border Ghost Stories by Howard Pease
We put on a hogshead of sugar, twenty-five hams, a sack of coffee, box of tea, firkin of butter, barrel of potatoes, some hominy, beans, canned fruits, etc.
From Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi by George H. Devol
An ancient dame a firkin sees, In which the rich Falernian lees Send from the nobly tinctured shell A rare and most delicious smell!
From The Fables of Phædrus Literally translated into English prose with notes by Henry T. (Henry Thomas) Riley
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