Updated on March 6, 2024
A barrel is a cylindrical container, typically made of wood or metal, that is used to store and transport a variety of goods. From beer and whiskey to oil and gunpowder, barrels have played a significant role in the history of trade and industry. Their cultural importance cannot be overstated, as they have been used in everything from maritime traditions to folk music.
For those with a passion for language and culture, understanding the translation of the word 'barrel' in different languages can be a fascinating journey. In Spanish, for example, a barrel is known as 'barril,' while in German it is called 'Fass.' In French, the word is 'tonneau,' and in Italian, it is 'botte.'
Not only do these translations offer insight into the linguistic differences between cultures, but they also highlight the historical and cultural significance of barrels around the world. Whether you're a language enthusiast, a history buff, or simply curious about the world around you, exploring the translations of 'barrel' is a great place to start.
Afrikaans | vat | ||
The word "vat" in Afrikaans can also refer to a large container used for storing liquids, such as a tank or cistern. | |||
Amharic | በርሜል | ||
The word "በርሜል" (barrel) in Amharic is derived from the Portuguese word "barril," which itself comes from the Latin word "barillus." | |||
Hausa | ganga | ||
In Hausa, "ganga" also refers to the quantity of water that a barrel can hold. | |||
Igbo | gbọmgbọm | ||
The Igbo word "gbọmgbọm" refers to a large storage container, typically made of wood or metal, used for holding liquids or other substances. | |||
Malagasy | barika | ||
Malagasy barika ultimately derives from the Arabic barrika, which means "large jar." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | mbiya | ||
MbIya, a word for 'Barrel', can also mean a 'Drum', 'Cask' or a container for transporting liquids or granular substances. | |||
Shona | dhiramu | ||
The word 'dhiramu' is a borrowed term in Shona, deriving from the Portuguese word for barrel, 'barril'. | |||
Somali | foosto | ||
The word "foosto" can also mean "big stomach" or "bloated belly" in Somali. | |||
Sesotho | moqomo | ||
The word “moqomo” can also refer to a group of people, usually of the same age or status, who are closely associated with each other. | |||
Swahili | pipa | ||
The word "pipa" also refers to a type of smoking pipe made of clay or wood. | |||
Xhosa | umphanda | ||
"Umphanda" also means "abundance" or "plenty" in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | agba | ||
The word "agba" in Yoruba can also refer to a large tree with a distinctive trunk. | |||
Zulu | umgqomo | ||
The Zulu word 'umgqomo' can also refer to a cylindrical container or a cylindrical part of a machine. | |||
Bambara | barili | ||
Ewe | barrel | ||
Kinyarwanda | ingunguru | ||
Lingala | baril ya baril | ||
Luganda | ekipipa | ||
Sepedi | barele ya go swara | ||
Twi (Akan) | toa a wɔde toa mu | ||
Arabic | برميل | ||
The word "برميل" can also refer to a large drum used for storing liquids or powders. | |||
Hebrew | חָבִית | ||
The word "חָבִית" (barrel) is derived from the Akkadian word "ḫubuttu", meaning "container" | |||
Pashto | بیرل | ||
The Pashto word "بیرل" can also mean a cask, vat, or hogshead. | |||
Arabic | برميل | ||
The word "برميل" can also refer to a large drum used for storing liquids or powders. |
Albanian | fuçi | ||
"Fuçi" is a word derived from the Latin "foculus" meaning "small hearth" and is related to the Albanian word "furrë" (oven). | |||
Basque | kupela | ||
"Kupela" can also mean "womb" or "hull" in Basque. | |||
Catalan | barril | ||
The Catalan word "barril" is derived from the Latin "barrīle", meaning "small barrel" or "keg". | |||
Croatian | barel | ||
The word “barel” in Croatian can refer to a measurement of wine or an object of value such as a pearl. | |||
Danish | tønde | ||
The Danish word "tønde" is derived from the Old Norse word "tunna", meaning a large cask or barrel, and can also refer to a specific unit of measurement for volume. | |||
Dutch | vat | ||
The Dutch word "vat" also means "baptism", a cognate of the English word "font". | |||
English | barrel | ||
The word 'barrel' is derived from the Old French 'baril,' meaning 'small cask' and the Late Latin 'barritus,' meaning 'elephant's trumpet.' | |||
French | baril | ||
The word "baril" comes from the Gaulish "barros", which means "basket" or "box". | |||
Frisian | barrel | ||
Frisian "fet" has the same root as English "vat" and means not only "barrel" but also "vessel" and "container" and is related to "vessel" and "vase" | |||
Galician | barril | ||
Galician "barril" comes from Latin "barillus" and means "clay vase", while "barril" in Spanish means "barrel". | |||
German | fass | ||
In archaic German, 'fass' also meant 'vessel' or 'container'. | |||
Icelandic | tunnu | ||
The word also means "melody" in Icelandic and "tune" in English, which may be a reference to a barrel's shape resembling a musical instrument. | |||
Irish | bairille | ||
The Irish word "bairille" can also refer to a tub, cask, or keg | |||
Italian | barile | ||
The word "barile" in Italian can also refer to a specific type of pasta. | |||
Luxembourgish | barrel | ||
In Luxembourgish, "barrel" can also refer to a "wooden frame for transporting hay", "a drinking horn", or a "drum used to signal fire brigades" | |||
Maltese | barmil | ||
The word "barmil" in Maltese may also refer to a kind of wine or drink made from fruit. | |||
Norwegian | tønne | ||
In Norwegian, the word "Tønne" also refers to a unit of herring or mackerel measuring around 126 liters. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | barril | ||
In Portuguese, the word "barril" also refers to a type of barrel-shaped musical instrument similar to a drum. | |||
Scots Gaelic | baraille | ||
"Baraille" also means "wrangling" in Scots Gaelic. | |||
Spanish | barril | ||
The Spanish word "barril" is also used to refer to a cask for holding gunpowder or a type of drum similar to a snare drum. | |||
Swedish | tunna | ||
The word "tunna" in Swedish derives from the Medieval Latin word "tunna" and originally referred to a wine barrel of 252 liters. | |||
Welsh | casgen | ||
The word 'casgen' is probably derived from the Latin word 'cascus', meaning 'hollow'. |
Belarusian | бочка | ||
The word "бочка" can also refer to a type of traditional Belarusian musical instrument, similar to a drum. | |||
Bosnian | bure | ||
The word "bure" can also refer to a cylindrical container used for storing liquids, such as a bottle or a can. | |||
Bulgarian | барел | ||
The Old Bulgarian word "барел" originates from the Latin "barrelus" which was probably derived from Vulgar Greek word for "small barrel". | |||
Czech | hlaveň | ||
The word "hlaveň" also denotes "a cylinder containing hair or feathers", or "a barrel used as an artillery piece" in Czech. | |||
Estonian | tünn | ||
The etymology of the Estonian word "tünn" is likely from Proto-Germanic, and it has cognate terms in most other Indo-European languages. | |||
Finnish | tynnyri | ||
Tynnyri is derived from Old Swedish and is related to the English word "tun". In Finland, "tynnyri" also refers to a type of fishing net. | |||
Hungarian | hordó | ||
The word “hordó” likely comes from the Slavic word “gъrdъ” or “chъrdъ,” meaning “pot,” “jug,” or “vessel.” | |||
Latvian | muca | ||
The Latvian word "muca" can also refer to a large tub used for laundry or a wooden box used for transporting grain. | |||
Lithuanian | statinė | ||
The word "statinė" likely comes from the verb "statyti" (to build), suggesting its construction and use as a vessel for storage or fermentation. | |||
Macedonian | буре | ||
The word "буре" in Macedonian can also refer to a small wooden box used to store cheese, or a large wooden container similar to a vat used in winemaking. | |||
Polish | beczka | ||
In Polish, «beczka» also means «a measure of liquid» (1 hectolitre), or «an amount», as well as a colloquial synonym for a person who gets drunk quickly or often. | |||
Romanian | butoi | ||
The word "butoi" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*bъtvъ", meaning "cask, barrel", and is related to the Bulgarian word "буте" (bute), meaning "barrel, cask". | |||
Russian | бочка | ||
The word "бочка" can also refer to a cylindrical musical instrument or a large wooden container used in shipbuilding. | |||
Serbian | буре | ||
In 16th and 17th century Serbia, a unit of volume equal to 72 litres was known as a "barrel" | |||
Slovak | sud | ||
The word "sud" also means "court" in Slovak, and originated from the German word "Sud" meaning "vessel". | |||
Slovenian | sod | ||
"Sod" can also refer to a type of turf or a simpleton. | |||
Ukrainian | бочка | ||
The Ukrainian word "бочка" (barrel) also derives from the German word "bottich" (cask). |
Bengali | পিপা | ||
The word 'pipa' originates from the Sanskrit word 'pipa' meaning 'vessel' or 'container'. In Bengali, it can also refer to a type of musical instrument with a bulbous body. | |||
Gujarati | બેરલ | ||
The word 'બેરલ' is also used to refer to the cylindrical shape of a container, such as a drum or a pipe. | |||
Hindi | बैरल | ||
The word "बैरल" also refers to a unit of volume for liquids, typically equal to 31 or 36 gallons. | |||
Kannada | ಬ್ಯಾರೆಲ್ | ||
The word "ಬ್ಯಾರೆಲ್" can also refer to a unit of volume for liquids, equivalent to 180 litres. | |||
Malayalam | ബാരൽ | ||
In Malayalam, "ബാരൽ" can also refer to a type of wooden plank used for constructing boats. | |||
Marathi | बंदुकीची नळी | ||
The word "बंदुकीची नळी" ("barrel") in Marathi derives from the Sanskrit word "बन्दूक" ("a pipe or tube"), which was originally borrowed from Persian. | |||
Nepali | ब्यारेल | ||
The word “ब्यारेल” can also refer to a barrel-shaped container to hold a large volume of liquids, especially one made of metal or plastic. | |||
Punjabi | ਬੈਰਲ | ||
The word "ਬੈਰਲ" (barrel) is derived from the Old French word "baril," which itself comes from the Latin word "barrus," meaning "a large cask or vat." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බැරලය | ||
The word "බැරලය" can also refer to a type of drum used in traditional Sinhalese music. | |||
Tamil | பீப்பாய் | ||
The word "பீப்பாய்" (barrel) is derived from the Portuguese word "pipa", which ultimately originates from the Latin word "pipa" (pipe). | |||
Telugu | బారెల్ | ||
The word "barrel" can also mean a unit of measurement for liquids, or a cylindrical container for holding liquids. | |||
Urdu | بیرل | ||
The word "بیرل" also refers to a type of traditional drum played in Punjab, Pakistan. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 桶 | ||
The character "桶" (barrel) was originally a pictogram of a large earthenware vessel in oracle bone script. | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 桶 | ||
In addition to “barrel”, “桶” can also refer to “a unit of volume” or simply a “container”. | |||
Japanese | たる | ||
In addition to referring to a "barrel", "たる" can mean "slack, loose", or "dull, boring". | |||
Korean | 통 | ||
In Korean, "통" can also refer to a tube, hole, or hollow structure. | |||
Mongolian | баррель | ||
The Mongolian word "баррель" is also used to refer to a unit of measurement for liquids, approximately equivalent to a barrel in English. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | စည် | ||
The word "စည်" not only means "barrel", but also can mean "to be round" or "to be circular". |
Indonesian | barel | ||
In Indonesian, "barel" also means "gunpowder flask" and is possibly derived from the Portuguese word "barril" | |||
Javanese | laras | ||
The Javanese word "laras" also refers to a unit of measurement for volume, specifically for measuring liquids and grains. | |||
Khmer | ធុង | ||
'ធុង' can also be used figuratively to describe someone who is very fat and has a round belly | |||
Lao | ຖັງ | ||
The word "ຖັງ" can also refer to a container or vessel made of various materials. | |||
Malay | tong | ||
The Malay word "tong", meaning barrel, is also used in the Chinese language, and is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "drona". | |||
Thai | บาร์เรล | ||
The word "บาร์เรล" can also refer to a unit of volume equal to 159 liters. | |||
Vietnamese | thùng | ||
"Thùng" also means "a large box". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bariles | ||
Azerbaijani | barel | ||
In Azerbaijani, the word "barel" can also mean "a large pot or cauldron" or "a type of waterwheel." | |||
Kazakh | баррель | ||
The Kazakh word "баррель" has two alternative meanings, both referring to a unit of liquid measurement: 158.98 liters and 416.4 kilograms. | |||
Kyrgyz | баррель | ||
В кыргызском языке слово "баррель" также означает "бочку" или "узел". | |||
Tajik | баррел | ||
In Tajik, the word "баррел" also means "a large drum". | |||
Turkmen | barrel | ||
Uzbek | bochka | ||
The word "bochka" has a second meaning - an Uzbek traditional headdress decorated with coins, coral, and sometimes feathers. | |||
Uyghur | تۇڭ | ||
Hawaiian | barela | ||
"Barela" also refers to the small cylindrical Hawaiian nose flute played in ancient hula. | |||
Maori | oko | ||
In some regions of New Zealand, | |||
Samoan | paelo | ||
In Samoan, the word 'paelo' can also refer to a type of small canoe carved from a single log. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | bariles | ||
"Bariles" can also refer to a unit of measurement for rice in the Philippines, typically 1 sack weighing around 50 kilograms. |
Aymara | barril satawa | ||
Guarani | barril rehegua | ||
Esperanto | barelo | ||
Latin | dolio | ||
Dolio also referred to a particular type of Greek earthenware amphora shaped like a barrel and used for storing wine and oil. |
Greek | βαρέλι | ||
The word "βαρέλι" also denotes a unit of volume in Greece, equal to approximately 40 gallons. | |||
Hmong | thoob | ||
Hmong "thoob" can also refer to a type of wooden container, typically used for holding liquids. | |||
Kurdish | kûp | ||
"Kûp" means "beehive" in some dialects. | |||
Turkish | varil | ||
The Turkish word "varil" comes from the Italian word "barile" and can also refer to a drum or a cask. | |||
Xhosa | umphanda | ||
"Umphanda" also means "abundance" or "plenty" in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | פאַס | ||
The Yiddish word "פאַס" ("barrel") may derive from the German word "fass" and the Polish word "pasa" (both having the same meaning), or from the Hebrew word "פּס" (transliterated pas) meaning a "vessel" or "container." | |||
Zulu | umgqomo | ||
The Zulu word 'umgqomo' can also refer to a cylindrical container or a cylindrical part of a machine. | |||
Assamese | বেৰেল | ||
Aymara | barril satawa | ||
Bhojpuri | बैरल के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ފީފާ އެވެ | ||
Dogri | बैरल दा | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | bariles | ||
Guarani | barril rehegua | ||
Ilocano | bariles | ||
Krio | barɛl we dɛn kin kɔl | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەرمیل | ||
Maithili | बैरल | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯕꯦꯔꯦꯜ ꯑꯣꯏꯅꯥ ꯄꯤꯔꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo | barrel a ni | ||
Oromo | barmeela | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବ୍ୟାରେଲ୍ | ||
Quechua | barril | ||
Sanskrit | पिपासा | ||
Tatar | баррель | ||
Tigrinya | በርሚል ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | barrel | ||