Knapsack, Packsack, Rucksack, Backpack?
What do you call that bag you carry on your back? Packsack? Rucksack? Knapsack? Backpack? What are the origins of these words?
Sack
Sack is another word that has come to English almost unchanged from its ancient origins; in particular, the Semitic (e.g., Phoenician, Hebrew) word saq (sack, bag, mourning dress; i.e., ‘sack cloth’).
From these sources come Greek sakkos (bag made from goat hair), Latin saccus, Proto-Germanic sakkiz, and Old English sacc. Middle English sak was a large oblong bag. Other related words include Middle Dutch sak, Old High German sac, Old Norse sekkr, Spanish saco, and Italian sacco.
Knapsack
The word knapsack is a 16th century Low German word from knappen (to eat, to creak or snap). In brief, a knapsack is a lunch bag. This word was commonly used as a name for what is now called a rucksack or backpack until the middle of the 20th century, particularly in Canada.
Packsack
The word packsack, a canvas case or bag held on the back by shoulder straps and used to carry gear when travelling on foot, is from 1851.
Rucksack
The word rucksack, a bag carried on the back by walkers, appears in English in 1853 from German Rucksack (ruck meaning back, from German Rucken = ridge, + sack). The word rucksack is mainly used in the UK, US, and other Western military forces.
The sense of a back as a ridge is perhaps from Proto-Germanic hruggin (the source of German Rucken ) or from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) kreuk (to turn, to bend). Related words include Old English hrycg (back of a man or beast) and Old Norse hryggr (back, ridge).
Backpack
The word backpack was coined in the US during the 1910s. A backpack a bag with shoulder straps that allow it to be carried on a person’s back. By 1916, the verb ‘to backpack’ meant to hike while carrying supplies in a backpack.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpack
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/knapsack
Sack
Sack is another word that has come to English almost unchanged from its ancient origins; in particular, the Semitic (e.g., Phoenician, Hebrew) word saq (sack, bag, mourning dress; i.e., ‘sack cloth’).
From these sources come Greek sakkos (bag made from goat hair), Latin saccus, Proto-Germanic sakkiz, and Old English sacc. Middle English sak was a large oblong bag. Other related words include Middle Dutch sak, Old High German sac, Old Norse sekkr, Spanish saco, and Italian sacco.
Knapsack
The word knapsack is a 16th century Low German word from knappen (to eat, to creak or snap). In brief, a knapsack is a lunch bag. This word was commonly used as a name for what is now called a rucksack or backpack until the middle of the 20th century, particularly in Canada.
Packsack
The word packsack, a canvas case or bag held on the back by shoulder straps and used to carry gear when travelling on foot, is from 1851.
Rucksack
The word rucksack, a bag carried on the back by walkers, appears in English in 1853 from German Rucksack (ruck meaning back, from German Rucken = ridge, + sack). The word rucksack is mainly used in the UK, US, and other Western military forces.
The sense of a back as a ridge is perhaps from Proto-Germanic hruggin (the source of German Rucken ) or from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) kreuk (to turn, to bend). Related words include Old English hrycg (back of a man or beast) and Old Norse hryggr (back, ridge).
Backpack
The word backpack was coined in the US during the 1910s. A backpack a bag with shoulder straps that allow it to be carried on a person’s back. By 1916, the verb ‘to backpack’ meant to hike while carrying supplies in a backpack.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpack
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/knapsack
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