Carboy

[[File:Hamidiye Kaynak Su.jpg|thumb|right|Large plastic bottles for a water dispenser]] [[Image:CarboyHomebrew.jpg|thumb|upright|A {{convert|6+1/2|usgal|L|order=flip|abbr=on|0}} glass carboy acting as a fermentation vessel for beer. It is fitted with a fermentation lock.]] upright|thumb|A Bulgarian demijohn (''damadzhana'')

A '''carboy''', also known as a '''demijohn''',<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary third edition |title=demijohn |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/demijohn_n |access-date=13 August 2025| date=December 2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia=Merriam Webster Dictionary |title=Demijohn |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demijohn |access-date=13 August 2025| date= 2003 |edition = 11th |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter= Demijohn |title= The Oxford English Dictionary: Being a Corrected Re-Issue of with An Introduction, Supplement and Bibliography of a New English Dictionary on Historical Principles |volume= 3 D-E |year= 1933 |place= Oxford |publisher= Clarendon Press |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.271840/mode/2up?view=theater |page= [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.271840/page/n183/mode/2up?view=theater 180] |via= Internet Archive |accessdate= 19 August 2025}}</ref> is a rigid container with a typical capacity of {{convert|1|to|16|usgal|L|order=flip|sigfig=1}}.<ref>ASTM D996, Packaging Terminology</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://msu.edu/~williss2/carpentier/part2/demijohn.html|title=The Kingdom of This World|last=Willis|publisher=Michigan State University|access-date=2016-07-01}}</ref> Carboys are primarily used for transporting liquids, often drinking water or chemicals.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Soroka | first = W | title = Glossary of Packaging Terminology | publisher = IoPP | year = 2008 | pages = 33 | isbn =978-1-930268-27-2 }}</ref>

They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, often beer or wine.

== History and etymology ==

The word ''carboy'' is from the Persian ''qarābah'' (قرابه), from Middle Persian ''Karāvah''.<ref>Farahvashi, Bahrām: Farhang-e Fārsi be Pahlavi. Tehran University 1381 Shamsi.</ref> Arabic also borrowed it as ''qarrāba'', meaning "big jug".<ref>Hull Museums Collection ''[http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/museumcollections/collections/storydetail.php?irn=197 hullcc.gov.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826231050/http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/museumcollections/collections/storydetail.php?irn=197 |date=2016-08-26 }}''</ref> The Spanish-language term is ''garrafa''.<ref>Diccionario de la Real Academia Española, definición de "garrafa", ''https://dle.rae.es/garrafa''</ref> English ''carafe'' is an etymological doublet via Italian and French.<ref>{{cite MW|carafe}}</ref>

''Demijohn'' originally referred to any glass vessel with a large body and small neck, enclosed in wickerwork. The word presumably comes from the French ''dame-jeanne'',<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wedgwood|first=Hensleigh|author-link=Hensleigh Wedgwood|title=On False Etymologies|journal=Transactions of the Philological Society|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=80|year=1855|issue=6|pages=70}}</ref> literally "Lady Jane", as a popular appellation; this word is first attested in France in the 17th century.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary''</ref> In Italian it is called ''damigiana'', most probably derived from French.<ref>{{cite web | publisher = Treccani | url = https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/damigiana/ | title = damigiana | work = Vocabolario on line | accessdate = 13 August 2025}}</ref> In some Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, it is also referred to as ''damajuana''.<ref>Diccionario de la Real Academia Española, "damajuana" entry, ''https://dle.rae.es/damajuana''</ref>

==Size== Carboy volumes range from {{convert|4|to|25|L|USgal|0|abbr=on}}. The term carboy itself usually indicates a {{convert|5|USgal|L|0|abbr=on}} size, unless otherwise noted. A {{convert|1|impgal|L|1|abbr=on}} carboy is sometimes called a jug. A {{convert|15|USgal|L|abbr=on}} carboy is normally called a demijohn (in the Philippines, ''dama juana''<ref>Ocampo, Ambeth R. (August 9, 2006) ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' "[http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=14195 Tanduay]". {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213205659/http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=14195 |date=February 13, 2008 }} p. 13.</ref>). In Britain, "demijohn" refers to a {{convert|4.5|L|impgal|0|order=flip|adj=on}} glass brewing vessel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Objects {{!}} 0 |first=Cindy Lambert {{!}} {{!}} |date=2020-11-25 |title=Handmade Balloon Bottles |url=https://winehistoryproject.org/handmade-balloon-bottles/ |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Brewing== In brewing, a carboy or demijohn is a glass or plastic vessel used in fermenting beverages such as wine, mead, cider, perry, and beer. It is usually fitted with a rubber stopper and a fermentation lock to prevent bacteria and oxygen from entering during the fermentation process.

During the homebrewing process, a primary carboy is used for fermentation. Once primary fermentation is complete, the beer is either transferred to a secondary carboy for conditioning or it can be transferred directly to bottles for conditioning. (This process of transferring is usually called racking.)

==Laboratory== In modern laboratories, carboys are usually made of plastic, though traditionally were (and still are in many university settings) made of ferric glass or other shatter-resistant glasses immune to acid corrosion or halide staining common in older plastic formulations. They are used for storing large quantities of liquids, such as solvents or deionised water. In these applications, a tap may be included for dispensing. Carboys are also used to collect and store waste solvents. Collecting waste solvents in plastic carboys is preferable to reusing glass Winchesters due to the lesser chance of breakage if a solution is placed in an incorrectly labeled carboy. Polypropylene carboys are also commonly used in laboratories to transfer purified water. They are typically filled at the top and have a spigot at the bottom for dispensing.

==See also== * Amphora - another large container used from 6000 BCE to the present, mostly for wine * Fermentation (food) * Jerrycan – another large-sized fluid container

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{wiktionary|carboy|demijohn}} {{Commons category|Carboys}} {{EB1911 poster|Carboy}} {{EB1911 poster|Demijohn}} * [http://www.bottlebooks.com/demijohn/big_bottles_big_history_demijohn.htm Big Bottles Big History: Demijohns and Carboys] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225130212/http://www.bottlebooks.com/demijohn/big_bottles_big_history_demijohn.htm |date=2018-12-25 }}

Category:Vessels Category:Homebrewing Category:Laboratory glassware Category:Wine packaging and storage Category:Utility vessels