gallon

noun

a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts, the U.S. standard gallon being equal to 231 cubic inches (3.7853 liters), and the British imperial gallon to 277.42 cubic inches (4.546 liters). Abbreviation: gal.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English galo(u)n, gallon < Old North French galon, derivative from base of Medieval Latin gallēta jug, bucket, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To gallon

Collins

World English Dictionary

gallon (ˈɡælən)

—n
1.	(Brit) Also called: imperial gallon a unit of capacity equal to 277.42 cubic inches. 1 Brit gallon is equivalent to 1.20 US gallons or 4.55 litres
2.	(US) a unit of capacity equal to 231 cubic inches. 1 US gallon is equivalent to 0.83 imperial gallon or 3.79 litres
3.	(plural) great quantities

[C13: from Old Northern French galon (Old French jalon), perhaps of Celtic origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Relevant Questions

How Much Is One Gallon?

00:10

Gallon is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

gallon

c.1300, from O.N.Fr. galon, corresponding to O.Fr. jalon "liquid measure," related to M.L. dim. form galleta "bucket, pail," also "a measure of wine," perhaps from Gaul. galla "vessel."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

gallon gal·lon (gāl'ən)
n.
Abbr. gal.
A unit of volume in the U.S. Customary System, used in liquid measure, equal to 4 quarts, 231 cubic inches, or 8.3389 pounds of distilled water (3.7853 liters).

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

gallon

(gāl'ən) Pronunciation Key
A unit of liquid volume or capacity in the US Customary System equal to 4 quarts (3.79 liters). See Table at measurement.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Example sentences

Researchers have now uncovered the protein that holds the key for producing

this fuel by the gallon.

He raced to the grocery store and bought half a gallon of chocolate ice cream.

However the cost of hydrogen is still sky high cost quite a few times the

energy equivalent of a gallon of gas.

Red-eared sliders, for example were priced fairly cheap and often taken home on