Webster's English Dictionary

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barrel

1. bar.rel \'bar-*l\ n [ME barel, fr. MF baril] 1: a round bulging vessel 
   of greater length than breadth that is usu. made  of staves bound with 
   hoops and has flat ends of equal diameter 2a: the amount contained in a 
   barrel; esp : the amount fixed for a  certain commodity (as 5 bushels of 
   corn) used as a unit of measure or weight 2b: a great quantity  3: a drum 
   or cylinder or a round part similar to one of these : as  3a: the 
   discharging tube of a gun  3b: the cylindrical metal box enclosing the 
   mainspring of a timepiece  3c: the part of a fountain pen or of a pencil 
   containing the ink or lead  3d: a cylindrical or tapering housing 
   containing the optical components of  a photographic-lens system and the 
   iris diaphragm 3e: TUMBLING BARREL  3f: the fuel outlet from the carburetor 
   on a gasoline engine  4: the trunk of a quadruped  - bar.reled aj
2. barrel vb or bar.reled or bar.relled;  or bar.rel.ing;  or bar.rel.ling 
   : to put or pack in a barrel  : to travel at a high speed