satchel
SACH-uhl · noun
LatinLate LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish
Origin
First recorded around 1340 as Middle English sachel, borrowed from Old French sachel, which came from Late Latin saccellum, meaning 'money bag' or 'purse.' That word was a diminutive of Latin sacculus, itself a diminutive of saccus, meaning 'bag.'
Journey
The word traveled from Latin's plain 'bag' through two layers of diminutive form, shrinking the idea each time, before settling into Middle English as a term for a small bag one carries.
Related words
It shares its root, saccus, with the English word 'sack,' both descending from the same Latin word for a bag.
More words
From Late Latin