BARREL

I. noun Etymology: Middle English barel, from Anglo-French baril Date: 14th century a round bulging vessel of greater length than breadth that is usually made of staves bound with hoops and has flat ends of equal diameter, 2. the amount contained in a ~, a great quantity, a drum or cylindrical part: as, the discharging tube of a gun, the part of a fountain pen or of a pencil containing the ink or lead, a cylindrical or tapering housing containing the optical components of a photographic-lens system and the iris diaphragm, the fuel outlet from the carburetor on a gasoline engine, the trunk of a quadruped, ~ed adjective II. verb (-reled or -relled; -reling or -relling) Date: 15th century transitive verb to put or pack in a ~, intransitive verb to move at a high speed or without hesitation