Coopering
/ˈkuːpərɪŋ/noun
The craft or work of making wooden barrels, casks, and similar containers.
Did you know?The word comes from the same ancient root as Latin *cuppa* (“cup”), showing that a barrel-maker and a drinking vessel are historically linked by the same container-root.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keup-
“to bend, arch, or curve”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kūpō
“a tub or vessel”
Old English
English
cype / cūpe
“a cup, tub, or container”
Middle English
English
couper / cowper
“a maker or repairer of casks”
14th Century
English
coupere / cooper
“a barrel-maker”
Modern English
English
coopering
“the craft of making and repairing wooden casks and barrels”