Cooperages

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place or workshop where barrels and casks are made; a business or facility dedicated to the production of containers for liquids; any establishment that specializes in the craft of barrel-making and related woodworking tasks
2. An establishment focusing on the construction of wooden containers for storing beverages; a facility where the art of making casks is practiced; a workshop devoted to the profession linked with crafting barrels for various uses
3. A location where skilled artisans create barrels for aging spirits; a workshop that serves the drink industry by producing casks; a site where traditional woodworking techniques are used to manufacture large wooden containers

Etymology: Cooperage is a plain formation: the noun "cooper", a maker of barrels and casks, plus the suffix "-age", which English took from Old French and which in this case marks a place or trade associated with the person. The plural "cooperages" simply counts separate workshops where barrels are made. Its base, "cooper", comes from a Middle English word of the same sense, which traces back through Old English and a Germanic root tied to the making of vessels. Because "cooper" was already a working trade name by the time "-age" was attached, the combination reads almost like a description of a shop sign: the cooper's place, or the cooper's trade. Barrel-making was once a large industry, so the word was used for whole establishments, not just a single bench.

Synonyms: barrel works, cask factories