The story
- Middle Dutch · borrowed from*vierdekijn
- English todayfirkin
From Middle Dutch *vierdekijn, diminutive of vierde (“fourth”), from vier (“four”); equivalent to fourth + -kin.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
firkin
Today it means: A varying measure of capacity, usually being a quarter of a barrel; specifically, a measure equal to nine imperial gallons. Full definition →
Middle Dutch *vierdekijn