n. & v.
n. 1 a cylindrical container usu. bulging out in the middle, traditionally made of wooden staves with metal hoops round them. 2 the contents of this. 3 a measure of capacity, usu. varying from 30 to 40 gallons. 4 a cylindrical tube forming part of an object such as a gun or a pen. 5 the belly and loins of a four-legged animal, e.g. a horse.
v. (barrelled, barrelling; US barreled, barreling) 1 tr. put into a barrel or barrels. 2 intr. US sl. drive fast. barrel-chested having a large rounded chest. barrel-organ a mechanical musical instrument in which a rotating pin-studded cylinder acts on a series of pipe-valves, strings, or metal tongues. barrel roll an aerobatic manoeuvre in which an aircraft follows a single turn of a spiral while rolling once about its longitudinal axis. barrel vault Archit. a vault forming a half cylinder. over a barrel colloq. in a helpless position; at a person's mercy.
[ ME f. OF baril perh. f. Rmc.: rel to BAR(1) ]