noun
- a small wooden barrel or cask
- a unit of capacity equal to one-fourth of a barrel
Usage: historical
Examples
- The merchant stored ale in wooden firkins.
- Each firkin held about nine gallons of beer.
- The cooper crafted several firkins for the brewery.
- They rolled the heavy firkin into the cellar.
- A firkin was a common measure for butter in colonial times.
- The tavern keeper tapped a fresh firkin of ale.