Where does “leatherjacket” come from?

leatherjacket (English) comes from English leather, from English stocking, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

leatherjacket (English): The larva of some crane flies; Any of several...

Definitions

  1. The larva of some crane flies; Any of several...

Ancestry of “leatherjacket”, step by step

leatherjacket traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English leather

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishleatherA tough material produced from the skin of...
2EnglishstockingA soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on...
3English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
4Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
5Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English jacket

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishjacketA piece of clothing worn on the upper body...
2Middle Frenchjacquet
3Old Frenchjaquea gambison; a type of tight-fitting shirt
4Arabicشَكّdoubt, suspicion
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-
leatherjacket — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer