Where does “pigskin” come from?
Pigskin is a compound of pig and skin, where skin derives from Middle English skinn, Old Norse skinn, and Proto-Indo-European skeh₁i-d-.
pigskin (English): Leather made from the skin of a pig; A football;...
Definitions
- Leather made from the skin of a pig; A football;...
Ancestry of “pigskin”, step by step
pigskin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pig
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pig | Any of several intelligent mammalian species of... |
| 2 | Middle English | pigge | A piglet or young pig; A pig irrespective of age;... |
| 3 | Old English | picga | a young pig; piglet |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | piggō | pig |
via English Skin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Skin | The outer protective layer of the body of any animal, including of a human |
| 2 | Middle English | skyn | The skin; A layer or cover located in the inside... |