In the other definition, a kurin is a type of housing, sometimes temporary, which can vary in size and purpose: from a small tent made of leaves, to a large wooden house for permanent occupation.
According to Dmytro Yavornytsky in his book "History of the Zaporozhian Cossacks" (Ukrainian: Історія запорізьких козаків), a kurin was a barrack 31 metres in length and 4 metres in width which was built out of lumber, with varying internal structures, or a military unit around the size of a regiment.
Each kurin would have a small treasury building where cossacks would store valuables.
Most cossacks did not live in the kurin they were counted in, rather choosing nearby villages, wilderness or other.
The kurin were usually named after nearby towns, the otaman which founded them, or from the original hometowns of the resident cossacks.