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
A firkin was also put into the sleigh; and after the sugar was sufficiently cool, it was put into the firkin, and covered up with great care.
From Mind Amongst the Spindles by Various
"Liar that thou art, Kerry—it would take a cask of one, and a firkin of the other to make up the necessary ointment!"
From The O'Donoghue Tale Of Ireland Fifty Years Ago by Lever, Charles James
The periwigs and drum-heads fry Like to a butter firkin; A woeful burning did betide To many a good buff jerkin.
From Shakespearean Playhouses A History of English Theatres from the Beginnings to the Restoration by Adams, Joseph Quincy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
