firkin C2 Topic:Food & Drink US /ˈfɝkɪn/ UK /ˈfɜːkɪn/ See IPA manual Freq #118749 Meanings 1 noun a small wooden cask used especially for butter, ale, or other provisions A firkin of salted butter stood in the cool corner of the cellar. 2 noun a historical British measure of capacity, especially one equal to a quarter of a barrel or nine imperial gallons for beer The old account records the sale of a firkin containing nine gallons of beer. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a small wooden cask used... small caskkeg 2 noun · a historical british... quarter-barrel measure More quarter barrel Word family Related forms barrelkilderkincask Etymology From Middle Dutch vierdekijn, a diminutive of vierde, 'fourth.' A firkin was characteristically a quarter of a larger barrel, though its exact capacity varied by commodity and period. Topics Food & Drink External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # firkin **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈfɝkɪn/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈfɜːkɪn/ **Frequency rank:** 118749 ## Meanings 1. a small wooden cask used especially for butter, ale, or other provisions 2. a historical British measure of capacity, especially one equal to a quarter of a barrel or nine imperial gallons for beer ## Examples - A firkin of salted butter stood in the cool corner of the cellar. - The old account records the sale of a firkin containing nine gallons of beer. ## Synonyms - small cask - keg - quarter barrel ## Related Forms - barrel - kilderkin - cask ## Etymology From Middle Dutch vierdekijn, a diminutive of vierde, 'fourth.' A firkin was characteristically a quarter of a larger barrel, though its exact capacity varied by commodity and period. ## Topics - Food & Drink markdown