I. ˈbarəl also ˈber- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English barell, barel, from Middle French baril
1. : 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.
a. : a barrel with its contents
b. : the contents of a barrel
c. : the amount contained in a barrel
d. : any of various units of capacity or volume: as
(1) : a United States unit of liquid measure equal to 31 1/2 gallons ; also : a unit of measure for fermented beverages equal to 31 gallons
(2) : a unit of measure for petroleum equal to 42 gallons
(3) : a unit of dry measure (as for fruits or vegetables) equal to 105 dry quarts or about 3.9 bushels ; also : a measure for cranberries equal to about 87 quarts or about 2.7 bushels — abbr. bbl.
e. : a great quantity : lot
have a barrel of fun
3. : a drum or cylinder or similar round part: as
a. : the body of a windlass or capstan about which the cable winds
b. : the tube of a gun from which the projectile is discharged
c. : the revolving cylinder of a barrel organ
d. : the flat cylindrical metal box that encloses the mainspring of a timepiece
e. : the upper inside part of a bell
f. : the large cylindrical part of a locomotive boiler containing the tubes
g. : the core of various cylindrical devices (as a spool or bobbin) on which yarn or cloth is wound
h. : the cylindrical part of a clarinet connecting the mouthpiece with the first joint
i. : the part of a fountain pen or of a pencil containing the writing fluid or the lead
j. : a cylindrical or tapering housing containing the optical components of a photographic-lens system and the iris diaphragm usually equipped with a flange on the outside for mounting on a camera
k. : a revolving hollow cylinder or drum within which metal may be cleaned by tumbling with abrasive material or may be dissolved from ore by mixing with a leaching solution
l. : the cylinder in which a piston travels
m. : the fuel outlet from the carburetor on a gasoline engine
4. : the trunk of a quadruped especially of a domestic animal — see cow illustration
II. verb
( barreled or barrelled ; barreled or barrelled ; barreling or barrelling ; barrels )
Etymology: Middle English barellen, from barell, n.
transitive verb
1. : to put or pack in a barrel
2. : to clean or otherwise treat (metal) in a barrel
3.
a. : to transport at a high speed
barrels heavy loads up steep hills
b. : to cause (as an automobile) to travel fast
barreled the convertible for a distant roadhouse
4. : to fit (a firearm) with a barrel
intransitive verb
: to travel at a high speed
barreling along in excess of the speed limit
III. noun
: a supply or collection of similar things
people graduating from college who are at the lowest part of the barrel — Albert Shanker