keg

noun

a small cask or barrel, usually holding from 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters).

a unit of weight, equal to 100 pounds (45 kilograms), used for nails.

Also, keg·ger. a keg party; beer bust.

Origin:
1585–95; earlier cag < Old Norse kaggi

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To keg

Collins

World English Dictionary

keg (kɛɡ)

—n
1.	a small barrel with a capacity of between five and ten gallons
2.	(Brit)
	a. an aluminium container in which beer is transported and stored
	b. Also called: keg beer beer kept in a keg: it is infused with gas and served under pressure

[C17: variant of Middle English kag, of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse kaggi cask]

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

00:10

Keg is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

keg

1452, from O.N. kaggi "keg, cask," of unknown origin. Specific sense of "barrel of beer" is from 1945.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

keg definition

n.
a beer belly. : If you didn't drink so much beer, you wouldn't have such a keg.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

keg

see sitting on a powder keg.

Matching Quote

"Captain Bligh: Mr. Byam, you're up late.
Byam: It's very warm below, sir.
Captain Bligh: I hadn't noticed it. A true sailor can sleep in an oven, if need be, or in a keg of ice."

-Talbot Jennings

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Idioms & Phrases

sitting on a powder keg