Burrels

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Large wooden containers traditionally used for storing liquids such as wine or whiskey ; a unit of volume measurement historically applied to quantities of oil or other commodities ; a barrel-shaped vessel commonly employed in shipping and storage contexts
2. Containers made of wooden staves bound by metal hoops, typically holding liquids like alcohol ; a volumetric standard formerly used in trade, especially for oil ; cylindrical storage units used in transport and aging of beverages
3. Sturdy cylindrical wooden casks used primarily for aging or shipping liquids ; a measurement standard once used in commerce to quantify bulk goods ; specialized barrels designed for storage and fermentation processes

Etymology: "Burrels" is simply the plural of "burrel," and the singular has a notable pedigree of its own. Its root is the Old French "burel," a coarse woollen cloth, and the link to containers runs through the idea of a rough, unlined fabric and a sturdy, rounded vessel. The word settled into English as a term for the large wooden casks used in trade, a usage that rests on the same practical picture of a barrel-shaped cask as the familiar "barrel" it resembles. Over time, "burrel" became a measure as well as a container. Trade in oil and other liquids depended on agreed volumes, and the cask was the unit that merchants could count, so the word came to name a standard quantity. Its modern uses, from alcohol storage to the ageing of spirits in wood, keep that original idea of a sturdy, staved vessel holding a set amount.

Synonyms: barrels, casks, butts