# gallon

Pronunciation: US say "GAL-uhn" /ˈɡælən/; UK

## Noun

1. A unit for measuring volume that is equal to eight pints, or four quarts.
   - Simple: A measure of liquid equal to eight pints.
   - _A gallon of paint was enough to cover the entire fence._
   - _She filled the tank with several gallons of fuel before the trip._
2. 231 cubic inches, equal to roughly 3.785 liters: the gallon used for liquids in the United States. *(US)*
   - Simple: The American measure for liquids, equal to about 3.8 liters.
   - _The recipe calls for half a gallon of milk._
   - _Most American milk jugs hold exactly one gallon._
3. Exactly 4.54609 liters: the imperial gallon used in the United Kingdom. *(British, Canada)*
   - Simple: The British measure for liquids, equal to about 4.5 liters.
   - _In Britain, a gallon of beer is larger than its American counterpart._
   - _Farmers once sold milk by the gallon at the village market._
4. A large quantity of any liquid, used loosely rather than as an exact measure. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A very large amount of a liquid.
   - _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._
5. One-eighth of a U.S. bushel, or roughly 4.405 liters: the gallon used for measuring dry goods. *(US)*
   - Simple: An American measure for dry goods, equal to about 4.4 liters.
   - _She measured out a gallon of cornmeal for the winter pantry._
   - _At harvest the farmers counted their yield in gallons of shelled corn._

## 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').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/gallon (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).