Hogshead
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A cask of a certain size; its volume used as a measure of capacity for liquids, containing 63 wine gallons, or about 52+¹⁄₂ imperial gallons (a half pipe). British
"[...] their vessels for use are made some of clay, of which sort some are so great as that they will containe more then one hogshead of water."
- 2 a large cask especially one holding 63 gals wordnet
- 3 A large barrel or cask of indefinite contents, especially one containing from 100 to 140 gallons.
"[...] Now the Shippe boaring the Moone with her maine Maſt, and anon ſwallowed with yeſt and froth, as you'ld thruſt a Corke into a hogſhead."
- 4 a British unit of capacity for alcoholic beverages wordnet
Example
More examples"As for washing dishes, Mr. Harrison never made any pretence of doing it unless a rainy Sunday came. Then he went to work and washed them all at once in the rainwater hogshead, and left them to drain dry."
Etymology
From Late Middle English hogshead, hagyshed, hogeyshed, hoggesyde, hokkeshed, Middle English hoggeshed, hogges-hed, hogeshed, hoggeshede, hoggesheed, hoggesheudes, hoggesheved, hoggishede, hoggisheed, hoggyssehed, hogyshed, hoogeshed (“measure of liquid capacity equivalent to about 63 gallons; large barrel or cask”, literally “hog’s head”), from hog, hogge (“swine, especially a castrated male swine”) + hed (“animal or human head”), equivalent to hog + -s- + head. The connection between the cask and the head of a hog is uncertain, but may refer to the shape of the cask. The word has often been borrowed into other languages as “ox-head”.
Related phrases
More for "hogshead"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.