pigskin
Meaning
The skin of a pig, especially when tanned and used for leather.
A football, especially one made from pigskin leather.
Structure
Usage
The old armchair was upholstered in durable pigskin.
He threw the pigskin for a spectacular touchdown pass.
Traditional bookbinding sometimes uses fine pigskin.
Etymology
The word 'pigskin' is a transparent Modern English compound formed from the nouns 'pig' and 'skin'. 'Pig' has obscure early origins but became the standard term for the domesticated swine in Middle English. 'Skin' entered English from Old Norse, supplanting the native Old English word 'hyd'. The compound literally means "the skin of a pig." Its specific application to a type of leather, and by metonymy to the footballs traditionally made from that leather, is a straightforward semantic development based on the material's common use. The term exemplifies how English readily creates new, logically clear words by combining existing elements.
Analysis
- pig: From Middle English 'pigge', likely of Germanic origin. Functions as the base noun specifying the animal source. - skin: From Old Norse 'skinn' (animal hide, fur), of Germanic origin. Functions as the head noun specifying the material or object.