gallon

noun

GAL-uhn/ˈɡælən/

5 meanings of gallon

1
nouncountable
A unit for measuring volume that is equal to eight pints, or four quarts.
A gallon of paint was enough to cover the entire fence.
She filled the tank with several gallons of fuel before the trip.
2
nounUScountable
231 cubic inches, equal to roughly 3.785 liters: the gallon used for liquids in the United States.
The recipe calls for half a gallon of milk.
Most American milk jugs hold exactly one gallon.
3
nounBritishCanadacountable
Exactly 4.54609 liters: the imperial gallon used in the United Kingdom.
In Britain, a gallon of beer is larger than its American counterpart.
Farmers once sold milk by the gallon at the village market.
4
nouncolloquialcountableplural
A large quantity of any liquid, used loosely rather than as an exact measure.
By the end of the workout he had sweated what felt like a gallon.
They poured gallons of water on the bonfire to put it out.
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5
nounUScountable
One-eighth of a U.S. bushel, or roughly 4.405 liters: the gallon used for measuring dry goods.
She measured out a gallon of cornmeal for the winter pantry.
At harvest the farmers counted their yield in gallons of shelled corn.

Practice

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Origin

The word comes from Middle English gallon, from Old Northern French galun or galon meaning a liquid measure, from Late Latin galum or galus, a measure of wine. This traces back to Vulgar Latin *galla, a vessel, possibly from a Gaulish word, and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'goblet'. It is related to Ancient Greek kúlix ('cup') and Sanskrit kalaśa ('jar, pitcher').