origin: [1400's] Middle Dutch; vierde= fourth + kin meaning 1/4 of a unit.
Quality-checking a firkin of butter.
noun
1. You know what sounds better than a barrel of beer? A firkin of beer. Well, if you're a word geek anyway. You may have firkins of various liquids though, and butter, and fish!
2. A specific measurement, John 2:6; clay vase (an Amphora) = measurement for approx. 8 7/8 gallons of liquid; the measurement for a Hebrew bath.
