puncheon

1 of 2

noun (1)

pun·​cheon ˈpən-chən 

1

: a pointed tool for piercing or for working on stone

2

a

: a short upright framing timber

b

: a split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed

puncheon

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a large cask of varying capacity

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• barrel
• butt
• cask
• firkin
• hogshead
• keg
• kilderkin
• pipe
• rundlet
• runlet
• tun

Examples of puncheon in a Sentence

Noun (2)

stored the puncheons of rum in the cellar

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Arizona La Osa is a 2019 Grenache aged 18 months in neutral 500-liter puncheons and bottled unfiltered. —Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 17 Nov. 2024

After being distilled in pot stills at Hioki, the whisky is aged in new American oak puncheons and ex-bourbon barrels for a minimum of three years. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2024

Ribera del Duero further stipulates that anything from crianza on up must be aged in oak barriques smaller than 330 liters, so winemakers choosing to use larger barrels, such as 500-liter puncheons or 2,500-liter foudres, are barred from using a descriptor other than cosecha. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2023

Awamori is not, generally speaking, aged in oak casks, which presumably makes the American oak puncheons used to finish this Glenfiddich expression even more rare. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2023

Its counterpart, the 2018 Brughelli Chardonnay is a ringer for a great white Burgundy, perfumed with lovely florals with bare hints of vanilla and spice (there’s 50 percent new oak here, but in the form of a large puncheon) and elegant oyster-shell minerality. —Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, 3 May 2021

Decades of experience led us to fill the spirit into a first-fill Sherry puncheon for long-term maturation. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 24 July 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English ponson, punchon, from Anglo-French ponchon pointed tool, support, ultimately from Vulgar Latin *punctiare to prick, pierce, from Latin punctum, supine of pungere — more at pungent

Noun (2)

Middle English punchon, from Anglo-French ponchon, probably from Middle French poinçon mark on goods certifying their origin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

puncheon

noun

pun·​cheon

ˈpən-chən

: a large barrel of varying size