noun A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends (heads). The word is sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum.
a cracker barrel
noun Such a cask of a certain size, holding one-eighth of what a tun holds. (See a diagram comparing cask sizes.)
noun The quantity which constitutes a full barrel: the volume or weight this represents varies by local law and custom.
noun A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case
the barrel of a windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled.
noun A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.
noun A venturi (in carburetion).
noun A ceiling-mounted tube from which lights are suspended.