(n) :
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. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a
drum; 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 31 1/2
gallons; a barrel of
flour is 196
pounds; of beer 31 gallons; of ale 32 gallons