barrel

Where “barrel” sits in English frequency

Definition

1. 1
   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 (heads). The word is sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
2. 2
   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 (heads). The word is sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
3. 3
   The quantity which constitutes a full barrel: the volume or weight this represents varies by local law and custom.
4. 4
   A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case
5. 5
   A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.
6. 6
   A venturi (in carburetion).
7. 7
   A ceiling-mounted tube from which lights are suspended.
8. 8
   Any tube.
9. 9
   The hollow basal part of a feather.
10. 10
    The part of a clarinet which connects the mouthpiece and upper joint, and resembles a barrel.
11. 11
    A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment.
12. 12
    A waste receptacle.
13. 13
    The ribs and belly of a horse or pony.
14. 14
    A jar.
15. 15
    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.
16. 16
    A statistic derived from launch angle and exit velocity of a ball hit in play.

Etymology

From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin *barrīculum meets the phonological requirement, but fails to connect the word semantically. The alternative connection to Frankish *baril, *beril or Gothic *𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌹𐌻𐍃 (*bērils, “container for transport”), from Proto-Germanic *barilaz, *bērilaz (“barrel, jug, container”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, transport”), is more plausible as it connects not only the form of the word but also the sense; equivalent to bear + -le. Compare also Old High German biril (“jug, large pot”), Luxembourgish Bärel, Bierel (“jug, pot”), Old Norse berill (“barrel for liquids”), Old English byrla (“barrel of a horse, trunk, body”). More at bear.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abrrel,barel,barerl,barrell,barrle,bbarrel,brarel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of barrel - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Frequently Asked Questions