Well attestedNamed for a product of the place
duffel bag
noun · first attested 17th century
The bag is named for a Flemish town that sold the cloth, not the bag.
A cylindrical cloth sack closed at the top, used for carrying personal gear.
Record
- Relationship
- Named for a product of the place
- Confidence
- Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
- Attested
- 17th century
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Duffel
- In English
duffel bag
Duffel, near Antwerp, gave its name to a thick woolen cloth traded across Europe from the seventeenth century. English speakers later moved the word onto military kit sacks made of heavy fabric, and the town is now better known abroad for luggage than for weaving.
Also pinned to Duffel
2 more from the same place
Belgium
All 12 entries 9 more words from Belgium
spaEvery spa is named for one Belgian town.SpaWaterlooA crushing loss is named for a ridge south of Brussels.WaterlooMechlinThe lace carries the English name for Mechelen.MechelenBrussels sproutThe vegetable is named for a city that cultivated it.Brusselscafé liégeoisA Viennese dessert renamed for the Belgian city that slowed the German advance.Liègemeet one's WaterlooAlmost none of the battle of Waterloo was fought at Waterloo.WaterlooLimburger cheeseThe smell comes from a bacterium that also lives on human skin.LimburgottreliteThe Ardennes hamlet behind the name also supplies the yellow whetstone that barbers sharpen razors on.Ottré