Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sturdy cylindrical container for storing liquids; a barrel.
  • noun The quantity that such a container can hold.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A close, water-tight vessel formed like a barrel with staves, headings, and hoops, and used for containing liquids or substances which may become liquid: a generic term comprehending the pipe, hogshead, butt, barrel, etc.
  • noun An irregular measure of capacity.
  • noun In dyeing, an apparatus for steaming and thus fixing the colors of cloths which are printed with a mixture of dyestuffs and mordants.
  • noun A helmet. [In this sense now usually spelled casque (which see).]
  • To put into a cask.
  • To provide with or put on a casque or helmet.
  • noun A casket; a case or shell.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To put into a cask.
  • noun obsolete Same as casque.
  • noun A barrel-shaped vessel made of staves headings, and hoops, usually fitted together so as to hold liquids. It may be larger or smaller than a barrel.
  • noun The quantity contained in a cask.
  • noun obsolete A casket; a small box for jewels.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A large barrel for the storage of liquid, especially of alcoholic drinks.
  • verb To put into a cask.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the quantity a cask will hold
  • noun a cylindrical container that holds liquids

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English caske, possibly from Old Spanish casco, potsherd, helmet, from cascar, to break; see cascara.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French casque.

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Examples

  • "Oodles and oodles of it, my gentlemen, in cask and chest, in cask and chest, a fathom under the sand."

    CHAPTER IX 2010

  • A cask is usually small enough that it will be finished the same night that it is tapped.

    Long Island Beer Events 2009

  • In fact, cask is under-represented in the north, largely because "northern" brands such as John Smith's and Boddingtons are in decline.

    Real ale revival continues as women and young buy more Rebecca Smithers 2010

  • The cask is usually gone by 10 p.m. or so, but DEKS has more than enough fine beers on offer to get you through the rest of your night.

    Long Island Beer Events 2009

  • When the cask is tapped everyone cheers and the beer starts flowing.

    Long Island Beer Events 2009

  • The wines were exported in cask and bottled and cellared there.

    Vintage port: 1948 Taylor, 1945 Fonseca, 1927 Niepoort | Dr Vino's wine blog 2010

  • "Oodles and oodles of it, gold and gold and better than gold, in cask and chest, in cask and chest, a fathom under the sand," the

    CHAPTER IX 2010

  • If you arrive when the cask is tapped, you'll get to see the cellarman (or "landlord" or "publican", etc.) tap the cask.

    Long Island Beer Events 2009

  • Keep you eye on my new beer-focused blog, The Beer Hall, because I'll be telling you what the cask is when we finally secure a supplier.

    Long Island Beers 2008

  • When the cask is tapped everyone cheers and the beer starts flowing.

    LENNDEVOURS: 2008

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