gunnysack
UK[ˈɡʌniˌsæk]US[ˈɡʌniˌsæk]
n
a large sack, typically made of a coarse material like burlap or hessian.
Morpheme Breakdown
gunny
sack
gunny
material
sack
bag
Etymology
The word 'gunnysack' is a compound noun formed in the 18th century from 'gunny', a term for coarse sacking material, and 'sack', a general term for a bag. 'Gunny' entered English via colonial trade from the Marathi word 'goṇī', which itself derives from the Sanskrit 'goṇī', meaning 'sack'. The 'sack' component has a long journey through Germanic and Romance languages, ultimately tracing back to the Greek 'sakkos', meaning 'bag made of coarse cloth or hair'. Thus, a gunnysack is, quite literally, a 'sack made of gunny cloth', its name preserving the history of its material and its function as a container for goods like grain, coffee, or potatoes.
Analysis
Structure: gunny (material) + sack (bag)
- gunny: Origin: Marathi & Sanskrit (गोणी, goṇī). Functional Role: Denotes the coarse material (jute or burlap) from which the sack is made.
- sack: Origin: Middle English (sak), from Old English (sacc), via Latin (saccus) from Greek (σάκκος, sakkos). Functional Role: Denotes a large bag or pouch.
Examples
The farmer filled a gunnysack with potatoes from the harvest.
She found some old coins in a dusty gunnysack in the attic.
The coarse fabric of the gunnysack scratched against his skin.