jerrycan

English

Etymology

From Jerry (“a German”) +‎ can, from its use by German troops in World War II.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛɹiˌkæn/, /ˈd͡ʒɛɹɪˌkæn/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Noun

jerrycan (plural jerrycans)

  2. A robust container for fuel or water, of a certain more or less rectangular shape, often made from pressed steel.
    Alternative forms: jerican, jerrican, jerry can, jerry-can
    • 1987, Michael Swanwick, Vacuum Flowers, New York: Arbor House, →ISBN, page 46:
      The police fell back, swatting and cursing. At the gateway, somebody grabbed a jerrycan of water from Jonamon's hut and flung its contents at the swarm.
    • 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 259:
      Anyone with half a brain and a jerrycan of fertilizer's got an army.

Descendants

Translations

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “jerry-can”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English jerrycan.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʒɛriˌkɛn/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: jer‧ry‧can

Noun

jerrycan m (plural jerrycans, diminutive jerrycannetje n)

  1. a jerrycan or similar container, used for fuel or other liquids (especially drinking water) and made of plastic or metal

Descendants

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.