Where does “slackpack” come from?

slackpack (English) comes from English backpack, from English pack, from Middle English pakken, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.

slackpack (English): To hike on a multi-day trail without carrying a...

Definitions

  1. To hike on a multi-day trail without carrying a...

Ancestry of “slackpack”, step by step

slackpack traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English backpack

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbackpackA knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame,...
2EnglishpackA bundle made up and prepared to be carried;...
3Middle EnglishpakkenTo pack; to put into a pack or container; To...
4Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

via English slack

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishslackThe part of anything that hangs loose, having no...
2Middle Englishslak
3Old Englishslæclazy
4Proto-Germanicslakazslack, lax
5Proto-Indo-European(s)leh₁g-weak, feeble; weak, faint
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no-
slackpack — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer