Adjacent Words

Gallon definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GAL'LON, n. [Law L. galona.] A measure of capacity for dry or liquid things, but usually for liquids, containing four quarts. But the gallon is not in all cases of uniform contents or dimensions. The gallon of wine contains 231 cubic inches, or eight pounds avordupois of pure water. The gallon of beer and ale contains 281 cubic inches, or ten pounds three ounces and a quarter avordupois of water; and the gallon of corn, meal, etc., 272 1/4 cubic inches, or nine pounds thirteen ounces of pure water.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters [syn: gallon, gal]
2: a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 quarts or 4.545 liters [syn: gallon, Imperial gallon, congius]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English galon, a liquid measure, from Anglo-French galun, jalun, ultimately from Medieval Latin galeta pail, a liquid measure Date: 13th century a unit of liquid capacity equal to 231 cubic inches or four quarts — see weight table

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a (in full imperial gallon) Brit. a measure of capacity equal to eight pints and equivalent to 4546 cc, used for liquids and corn etc. b US a measure of capacity equivalent to 3785 cc, used for liquids. 2 (usu. in pl.) colloq. a large amount. Derivatives: gallonage n. Etymology: ME f. ONF galon, OF jalon, f. base of med.L galleta, galletum, perh. of Celtic orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gallon Gal"lon, n. [OF galon, jalon, LL. galo, galona, fr. galum a liquid measure; cf. F. jale large bowl. Cf. Gill a measure.] A measure of capacity, containing four quarts; -- used, for the most part, in liquid measure, but sometimes in dry measure. Note: The standart gallon of the Unites States contains 231 cubic inches, or 8.3389 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water at its maximum density, and with the barometer at 30 inches. This is almost exactly equivalent to a cylinder of seven inches in diameter and six inches in height, and is the same as the old English wine gallon. The beer gallon, now little used in the United States, contains 282 cubic inches. The English imperial gallon contains 10 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water at 62? of Fahrenheit, and barometer at 30 inches, equal to 277.274 cubic inches.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Imperial Im*pe"ri*al, a. [OE. emperial, OF. emperial, F. imp['e]rial, fr. L. imperialis, fr. imperium command, sovereignty, empire. See Empire.] 1. Of or pertaining to an empire, or to an emperor; as, an imperial government; imperial authority or edict. The last That wore the imperial diadem of Rome. --Shak. 2. Belonging to, or suitable to, supreme authority, or one who wields it; royal; sovereign; supreme. ``The imperial democracy of Athens.'' --Mitford. Who, as Ulysses says, opinion crowns With an imperial voice. --Shak. To tame the proud, the fetter'd slave to free, These are imperial arts, and worthy thee. --Dryden. He sounds his imperial clarion along the whole line of battle. --E. Everett. 3. Of superior or unusual size or excellence; as, imperial paper; imperial tea, etc. Imperial bushel, gallon, etc. See Bushel, Gallon, etc. Imperial chamber, the, the sovereign court of the old German empire. Imperial city, under the first German empire, a city having no head but the emperor. Imperial diet, an assembly of all the states of the German empire. Imperial drill. (Manuf.) See under 8th Drill. Imperial eagle. (Zo["o]l.) See Eagle. Imperial green. See Paris green, under Green. Imperial guard, the royal guard instituted by Napoleon I. Imperial weights and measures, the standards legalized by the British Parliament.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(gallons) A gallon is a unit of measurement for liquids that is equal to eight pints. In Britain, it is equal to 4.564 litres. In America, it is equal to 3.785 litres. ...80 million gallons of water a day. ...a gasoline tax of 4.3 cents a gallon. N-COUNT: oft N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Four quarts.

Foolish Dictionary

From the Fr. galonner, to make tight. Note, one is sufficient.