History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 198

Back (1682), a large, shallow vessel, chiefly for liquids, a tub, trough, vat, cistern, esp.
those used by brewers, dyers, and picklers; ad. Du. bak (M.Du. bac(k), ad. F. bac),
ferryboat, punt, also a trough, basin, mash-tub. Beck (1828) is probably a variant of
Back, though perhaps influenced by Du. bekken, basin, bowl.
10. 3.
It is curious how many of the terms of brewing are names of vessels used in the
industry. These may equally well have come in as terms of the cooper's craft. It is
impossible, however, to separate coopering from brewing, of which it was an auxiliary
trade. The alien brewers certainly brought over their own coopers with them; in 1523
the coopers were specially mentioned in a statute by which ‘no stranger was to have
an ali