*barrel*

n.[ OE. barel, F. baril, prob. fr. barre bar. Cf. Barricade. ] 1. A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads; as, a cracker barrel. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 311/2 gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case; as, the barrel of a windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A jar. [ Obs. ] 1 Kings xvii. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Zool.) The hollow basal part of a feather. [ 1913 Webster ]

Barrel bulk (Com.), a measure equal to five cubic feet, used in estimating capacity, as of a vessel for freight. --
Barrel drain (Arch.), a drain in the form of a cylindrical tube. --
Barrel of a boiler, the cylindrical part of a boiler, containing the flues. --
Barrel of the ear (Anat.), the tympanum, or tympanic cavity. --
Barrel organ, an instrument for producing music by the action of a revolving cylinder. --
Barrel vault. See under Vault. [ 1913 Webster ]