wineskin
Meaning
a bag made from the skin of an animal, used for holding wine.
Structure
Usage
the traveler carried a wineskin filled with water on his long journey.
in the historical reenactment, they poured wine from a goatskin wineskin.
the old wineskin had begun to leak, so we needed a new container.
Etymology
The word 'wineskin' is a transparent compound formed from two English words of ancient lineage. 'wine' traces back to the Latin 'vinum', which itself has a probable Proto-Indo-European origin related to words for vine. 'skin' originates from Old Norse 'skinn', referring to an animal hide. The compound logically describes a container made from an animal hide specifically for storing and transporting wine, a practical vessel used since antiquity. Its formation follows the straightforward English pattern of combining two nouns to create a new, descriptive term for an object.
Analysis
wine (from old english 'win', from latin 'vinum', meaning "wine") + skin (from old norse 'skinn', meaning "animal hide, pelt").