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Glite Dictionary
jerrican

jerrican

1 6.9
A strong, flat container with a handle for carrying fuel or water
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛrɪkən/
  • UK
translation icon : bidón
  • He carried a heavy jerrican of fuel across the desert.
  • water in jerricans

Examples

  • SHOULDN'T WE TOP OFF THE JERRICAN AT THE WATER HOLE...

    Slow Burn (2000)

  • The car boiled, and we poured in water from a jerrican and filled up another one to take with us in case it grew thirsty again on the road going up to Jerusalem.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The man started a second round of drinking, but the jerrican was empty.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Shouldn't we top off the jerrican at the water hole...

    Slow Burn (2005)

  • We filled the jerrican with water before heading out on our camping trip.

  • After collecting rainwater, we stored it in a jerrican for later use.

Synonyms

jug
vsjerrican
41 1.0

A large container with a narrow opening for holding and pouring liquids

is flatter and designed for carrying liquids rather than pouring
jerrycan
vsjerrican
  • UK
1 4.4

A flat container with a handle for carrying fuel or water

is the same meaning but is a different common spelling
cruse
vsjerrican
  • Archaic
9.9

A small jar that holds liquids like oil or water

is larger and built for transporting liquids over distances

How Portable

bottle
∞ 1.0
can
  • US
491 1.0
jerrican
  • UK
1 6.9
drum
73 1.0
tanker
57 3.5

Surface Forms

jerrican singular
jerricans plural

Morphology

jerrican = Jerry + can (semi-transparent) = jerry + can

The element 'can' clearly signals a container, but 'Jerry' is historical slang and not obvious to most learners, and the compound has generalized beyond its wartime origin.

Etymology

The word jerrican comes from British soldiers in World War II who called the strong metal cans made in Germany Jerry, a slang name for 'a German', plus the English word can. So a jerrican today means a flat, portable container for carrying fuel or water.