[koo-per-ij, koo
p-er-] 
| 1. | the work or business of a cooper. |
| 2. | the place where such work is carried on. |
| 3. | articles made by a cooper, as barrels or casks. |
| 4. | the price paid or charged for coopers' work. |
| coop·er (kōō'pər) n. One that makes or repairs wooden barrels and tubs. [Middle English couper, from Middle Dutch kūper, from kūpe, basket, tub; see coop.] coop'er v., coop'er·age n. |
cooperage
large, bulging cylindrical container of sturdy construction traditionally made from wooden staves and wooden or metal hoops. The term is also a unit of volume measure, specifically 31 gallons of a fermented or distilled beverage, or 42 gallons of a petroleum product. According to the 1st-century-AD Roman historian Pliny the Elder, the ancient craft of barrel making, also called cooperage, was invented by the inhabitants of the Alpine valleys.
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