barrad 
nal.] A conical cap of very ancient origin, 
worn by the Irish till as late as the seventeenth 
century. 
barragant (bar'a-gau), n. Same as barracan. 
barrage (bar'aj)" . [P., a bar, barrier, dam, 
< bnrrer, bar,' obstruct, < barre, bar, obstruc- 
tion : see btu-l and -age. ] 1 . The act of barring ; 
specifically, the formation of an artificial ob- 
struction in a watercourse, in order to increase 
the depth of the water, to facilitate irrigation, 
and for other purposes. 2. The artificial bar 
thus formed; especially, one of those on the 
river Nile in Egypt. 
barragont (bar'a-gon), . Same as barracan. 
Barragons a genteel corded stuff much in vogue at that 
time fur summer we;ir. GiH'i-t \\'hit>'. SrU'nnie, v. 14. 
barragudo (bar-a-go'do), n. [S. Amer.] A na- 
tive Indian name of a large South American 
monkey of the genus Lagothrij:. 
barraiu, n. See bar rail. 
barrakant, . See barracan. 
barramunda (bar-a-muu'da), n. [Native Aus- 
tralian.] An Australian fish, Ceratodusforsteri, 
of the order Dipnoi, representative of a sub- 
order Monopneumona . It attains a length of 6 
feet, and its flesh is esteemed for food. See 
Ceratodus. 
barranca (ba-rang'ka), n. [Sp., also barranco 
= Pg. barranco.'] A deep ravine, mountain- 
gorge, or defile: a word frequently used by 
writers on Mexican and South American geog- 
raphy and travel. 
Only in the valleys of erosion, true baraneos, into which 
the fire cannot penetrate. J '. J. Rein, Japan (trans.), p. 8;j. 
barras 1 t (bar'as), M. [Origin obscure.] A coarse 
linen fabric originally imported from Holland. 
The word was in use in the seventeenth century. 
barras 2 (bar'as; P. pron. ba-ra'), n. [P., < 
barre, a bar, in ref. to its appearance on the 
tree.] The French name for the turpentine 
obtained in the south of France from Pinus 
Pinaster. Also called galipot. 
barratt, n. [< ME. barrat, barret, barat, baret, 
< OF. barat (= Pr. barat = Sp. barato (obs.) = 
It. baratto), m., also barate = Pr. barata = Sp. 
barata (obs.), f. (ML. baratus, baratum, and ba- 
rata), of uncertain origin ; orig. appar. traffic, 
dealing (as in the E. deriv. barter, q. v.), then 
fraudulent dealing, fraud, etc. In sense 3, cf. 
Icel. baratta, fight, strife, trouble.] 1. Fraud; 
deception. 2. Trouble; distress. 
How he has in greate burett bene sithen he was borne. 
1'or/c Plays, p. 179. 
3. Contention; strife. 
barratt, v. i. [Also barret; < barrat, n.~\ To 
quarrel; brawl. 
barrathea-cloth, n. See barathea-cloth. 
barrator (bar'a-tor), . [< ME. barator, baritor, 
banter, baratdur^baratur, etc., < AF. "baratour, 
OF. barateor (= Pr. baratador = It. bamttatore ; 
ML. barratator), < barater, barter, cheat, de- 
ceive, < barat, etc., barter: see barrat.] If. In 
old Taw, one who buys or sells ecclesiastical pre- 
ferment; a simonist. 2. In Scots law, a judge 
who takes a bribe. 3. One who buys or sells 
offices of state. 4. One who commits barratry ; 
one who, being the master of a ship or one of its 
officers or seamen, commits any fraud or frau- 
dulent act in the management of the ship or 
cargo, by which the owner, freighters, or in- 
surers are injured, as by running away with 
the ship, sinking or deserting her, wilful devi- 
ation from the fixed course, or embezzlement 
of the cargo. 5f. A quarrelsome, brawling 
person; a rowdy. 6. One who frequently ex- 
cites others to lawsuits or quarrels ; a common 
mover and maintainer of suits and controver- 
sies ; an encpurager of litigation between other 
persons : chiefly in the phrase common barrator. 
See barratry, 4. 
Will it not reflect as much on thy character, Nic, to turn 
barrator in thy old days, a stirrer up of quarrels amongst 
thy neighbours? Artmthnot, Hist, of John Bull. 
Also spelled barrater, and, especially in the 
last sense, barretor. 
barratoust (bar'a-tus), a. [< ME. baratous, < 
OF. baratcits, < 'barat: see barrat.] Conten- 
tious; quarrelsome. 
The world is too full of litigious and ban-atom pennes 
G. Harvey, Pierces Supererogation, p. 97. (JV. E. D.) 
barratrous (bar'a-trus), a. [< barratry + -otts.~\ 
Of the nature of or characterized by barratry ; 
fraudulent. Also spelled barretrous. 
barratrously (bar'a-trus-li), adv. In a barra- 
trous or fraudulent manner ; by barratry. Also 
spelled barretrously. 
barratry (bar'a-tri), n. [< ME. barratrie, < 
OF. baraterie, barterie = Pr. barntaria (ML. 
458 
barataria), < barat: see barrat and -ry.~\ 1. 
The purchase or sale of ecclesiastical prefer- 
ments or of offices of state. See barrator, 1, 3. 
2. In old Scots law, the taking of bribes by a 
judge. 3. The fraud or offense committed by 
a barrator. See barrator, 4. 4. A vexatious 
and persistent inciting of others to lawsuits 
and litigation; a stirring up and maintaining 
of controversies and litigation. This is a crim- 
inal offense at common law. 
Also barrctry, especially in the last sense. 
barr6 (ba-ra'), . [F., pp. otbarrer, bar, < barre, 
bar: see Sac 1 .] 1. In her., divided by a bend 
sinister: the reverse of bendwisc or bandv. [This 
French terra is used because English heraldry lias no single 
term for bendwise in a sinister sense.] 
2. In music for the guitar or lute, barred : con- 
veying a direction to press with the forefinger 
of the left hand across all the strings, in order 
to raise their pitch, and thus facilitate a tempo- 
rary change of key. 
barfed (bard), p. a. 1. Secured with a bar or 
bars: as, "the olose-barred portal," Scott, Ab- 
bot, xix. 2. Furnished or made with bars: 
as, a five-barred gate. 3. Obstructed by a bar, 
as a harbor. 4. Striped; streaked: used espe- 
cially of textile fabrics: as, "barred al of silk," 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale. 5. In music: (a) Mark- 
ed offby bars. (6) Same as barre, 2. 6. Inker., 
same as barry%. 
barrel (bar'el), n. [< ME. barel, barele, barayl, 
< OF. bareil, baril, mod. F. baril = Pr. Sp. Pg. 
barril = It. barile = G. barel = OBulg. Serv. 
Russ. barilo = Pol. baryla (barred f) = NGr. 
fiape'Ai, < ML. barile, barillus, barellus, baurilis, 
a barrel. Origin uncertain ; perhaps connected 
with bar 1 . The Celtic words, W. baril = Gael. 
/>nr/iill=Ir. 6M-*te = Manx barrel = Corn, bul- 
liar, are of E. origin.] 1. A vessel or cask of 
a cylindrical form, generally bulging in the mid- 
dle, usually made of wooden staves bound toge- 
ther with hoops, and having flat parallel heads. 
2. As a measure of capacity, the quantity of 
anything, liquid or solid, which a barrel should 
contain. In English metrology there were four prin- 
cipal kinds of barrels : the wine-barrel of 31* wine gallons ; 
the London ale-barrel of 32 beer gallons ; trie country ale- 
and beer-barrel of 34 beer gallons ; and the London beer- 
barrel of 36 beer gallons. The wine-barrel was legalized 
in the reign of Kichard III., the others under Henry VIII. 
Under George III. the barrel of ale or beer for town and 
country was made 36 gallons. Oil, spirits, tar, and pork 
were measured by the wine-barrel ; vinegar, by the barrel 
of 34 gallons. A barrel of eels or herrings contained 30 
gallons by a statute of Henry VI., but by another of Ed- 
ward IV. this was made 42 gallons. Salmon and spruce 
beer were also measured by barrels of 42 gallons. A bar- 
rel of beef, wet codfish, or honey contained 32 wine gal- 
lons ; but honey was sometimes sold by barrels of 42 gal- 
lons of 12 pounds each. By a statute of George III., a 
barrel of fish was made 38 wine gallons ; but a barrel of 
salt pilchards or mackerel measured 50 gallons. The bar- 
rel of apples, coal, or nuts contained 3 Winchester bush- 
els, each of 8 gallons, dry measure. The barrel of ancho- 
vies contained 16 pounds ; of gunpowder, 100 pounds ; of 
raisins, 1 hundredweight; of candles, 120 pounds; of ba- 
rilla, potash, or butter, 2 hundredweight (but only 106 
pounds of Essex butter, and 156 of Sussex); the barrel of 
soap, 256 pounds. A barrel of plates, by a statute of 
Charles II., contained 300 pounds. There were besides a 
great variety of other barrels in Scotland and Ireland. In 
England the barrel is no longer a legal measure. In the 
United States the barrel in liquid measure is commonly 
31J gallons, and for solid substances it is generally a unit 
of weight, a barrel of flour, for example, being 196 pounds 
and a barrel of beef or pork 200 pounds. In Maine a bar- 
rel of flsh is by law 200 pounds. In Louisiana a barrel in 
dry measure is 3J bushels. The bushels vary in different 
States. On the continent of Europe, previous to the in- 
troduction of the metric system, there were many barrels. 
In each state of Italy the barile for wine was a little 
smaller than that for oil ; they were about 30 to 60 liters. 
The barril of Normandy was about 60 Paris pintes The 
baral of Hontpellier was 25| liters ; the barrallon of Bar- 
celona, 30f liters ; the baril of Riga, 137} liters. The bar- 
ri(jtu! was commonly larger than the baril. The abbrevi- 
ation is bbl., pi. bbli. 
3. The contents of a barrel : sometimes, like 
bottle, used to signify intoxicating drink. 4. 
The money (especially when the sum is large) 
supplied by a candidate in a political cam- 
paign, for campaign expenses, but especially 
for corrupt purposes : hence, a barrel campaign 
is one in which money is lavishly employed to 
bribe voters: in this sense often written and 
pronounced bafl (barl), in humorous imitation 
of vulgar speech. [U. S. political slang.] 
5. Anything resembling a barrel; a drum or 
cylinder. In particular (a) The drum or roller in a 
crane, about which the rope or chain winds. (V) The main 
portion of a capstan, about which the rope winds, between 
the drumhead at the top and the pawl-rim at the bottom. 
See cut under capstan, (c) In the steering apparatus of 
a ship, the cylinder on which the tiller-ropes or -chains 
are wound, (d) The rim in a drum or pulley about which 
the belt works, (e) The cylinder studded with pins which 
in the barrel-organ opens the key-valves, and in the mu- 
sical box sets in vibration the teeth of the steel comb by 
barrel-organ 
which the sound is produced. (/) The cylindrical portion 
of a boiler between the fire-box and the smoke-box, con- 
taining the tubes or flues, (g) The body or trunk of n 
quadruped, especially of a horse, ox, etc. 
Lofty is his neck, 
And elegant his head, his barrel short. 
Singleton, tr. of Virgil, 1. 151. 
(/i) The cylindrical case in a watch, within which the 
mainspring is coiled, and round which the chain is wound. 
(i) The chamber of a pump, in which the piston works, 
(j) The tube in a lock into which the key enters. (*) The 
vibrating portion of a bell between the lower thickened 
part or sound-bow and the top or cannon. (0 The hard, 
horny, hollow part of the stem of a feather, the calamus 
proper, or quill. See cut under aftershaft. (in) That 
part of the hilt of a sword which is grasped' by the hand. 
() The metal tube of a gun. Barrel of the ear. the 
tympanum or ear-drum. Set- ttnn^ttnuin. Rolling-bar- 
rel, tumbling-barrel, a tumbling-box, or vessel mounted 
on a shaft and made to revolve, for the purpose of polish- 
ing orcleaning by attrition materials placed within it, and 
for cutting shellac, etc. Slack barrel, a coopered vessel 
shaped like a cask, but not made water-tight, being in- 
tended for dry substances. 
barrel (bar'el), v. t. ; pret. and pp. barreled or 
barrelled, ppr. barreling or barrelling. [< barrel, 
n.] To put or pack in a barrel or barrels : as, 
to barrel beef, pork, or fish. 
Stale . . . butter, and such, I fear, it is by the being 
barrelled up so long. It. Jonmn, Staple of News, ii. 1. 
barrel-bayonet (bar'el-ba'o-net), n. A bayo- 
net, formerly used, fitted to a haft which was 
inserted into the barrel of the gun. See plug- 
barrel-bellied (bar'el-bel"id), a. Having a 
round and protuberant or barrel-shaped belly. 
barrel-bolt (bar'el-bolt), n. A door-bolt mov- 
ing in a cylindrical casing. 
barrel-bulk (bar' el-bulk), n. Naut., a measure 
of capacity for freight, equal to 5 cubic feet. 
Eight barrel-bulks, or 40 cubic feet, are equiva- 
lent to one ton by measurement. 
barrel-curb (bar'el-kerb), n. An open cylin- 
der, 3^ or 4 feet in length, formed of strips of 
wood nailed on horizontal circular ribs of elm, 
used as a mold in well-sinking to keep the ex- 
cavation cylindrical. 
barrel-drain (bar'el-dran), n. A cylindrical 
drain of masonry. 
barreled, barrelled (bar'eld), p. a. l . Packed, 
stowed, or stored away in barrels: as, barreled 
butter. 2. Inclosed in a cylinder or barrel: 
as, barreled bolts. 3. Having a barrel or bar- 
rels of a kind or number indicated : used chief- 
ly in composition: as, a double-barreled gun. 
Barreled crossbow. See crossbow. 
barrelet. . See barrulet. 
barrel-filler (bar'el-fil'er), n. An apparatus 
for filling barrels, provided with an automatic 
arrangement, generally in the nature of a float, 
for cutting off the supply of liquid in time to 
prevent overflow. 
barrel-fish (bar'el-fish), n. A name of the 
log-fish or rudder-fish (which see), Lirus perci- 
formis, of the family Strom ateidce. 
They are almost always found in the vicinity of floating 
barrels and spars, and sometimes inside of the barrels. 
Hence the fishermen call them barrel-fish, though the most 
usual name is rudder-fish. Stand. Xat. UM., III. 191. 
barrel-gage (bar'el-gaj), . An automatic 
device to indicate when a barrel is full, or to 
shut off the supply and prevent overflow. 
barrel-hooks (bar'el-hukz), n. pi. A pair of 
iron hooks for lifting bar- 
rels by the chines. 
barrelled, p. a. See bar- 
reled. 
barrel-lifter (bar'el-lif "- 
ter),w. Ahand-toolfor lift- 
ing a barrel by the chines. 
barrel-loom (bar'el-lom), 
n. 1. A loom in which 
the pattern of the fabric 
to be woven is determined 
by a chain of perforated 
cards passing over a drum 
or barrel. See Jacquard 
loom, under loom. 2. A Barrel-hooks, 
loom in which pins pro- 
jecting from a revolving barrel determine the 
elevation and depression of the warp-threads. 
barrel-organ (bar 'el -origan), n. An organ 
with a cylinder or barrel turned by a crank 
and furnished with pegs or staples, which, 
when the barrel revolves, open a series of 
valves admitting currents of air from a bellows 
actuated by the same motion to a set of pipes, 
thus producing a tune either in melody or in 
harmony. In another form of the instrument wires like 
those of the piano are acted on instead of pipes. Many 
large instruments have been made on this principle, but 
it is chiefly applied to the hand-organs carried about by 
street musicians. 
