"sack-like spore-case in lichens and certain other fungi," 1830, Modern Latin, from Greek askos "leather bag, wine-skin," which is of unknown origin. Plural asci.
early 15c., in anatomy, "small sack," from Latin folliculus "a little bag," diminutive of follis "bellows, inflated ball, money-bag," from PIE *bhol-n-, suffixed form of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell." Related: Follicular.
1838, "small bag, usually embroidered or otherwise ornamented, containing perfume powder, etc., placed among articles of dress," from French sachet, literally "little sack" (12c.), a diminutive of sac (see sac). A reborrowing of a word that Middle English had used in the sense "small bag, wallet" (15c., saket).
"pouch, sack, vesicle," by 1788 as an English word in physiology, shortened from medieval Latin bursa mucosa "mucus pouch," from Medieval Latin bursa "bag, purse," from Late Latin bursa, variant of byrsa "hide," from Greek byrsa "hide, skin, wine-skin, drum," which is of unknown origin; compare purse (n.). Related: Bursal (1751).
also shithead, "objectionable or contemptible person," by 1961, from shit (n.) + head (n.). Piece of shit for "contemptible person" is by 1916; shit-sack or shitsack in this sense is noted by 1769, in reference to the time of Charles II, as an "opprobrious appellation by which the Nonconformists were vulgarly distinguished." Simple shit (n.) for "obnoxious person" is by 1510s.
c. 1300, "sack stuffed with wool, down, etc. used as a mattress," from Anglo-French quilte, Old French cuilte, coute, quilte "quilt, mattress" (12c.), from Latin culcita "mattress, bolster," a word of unknown etymology. The sense of "thick outer bed covering, cover or coverlet made by stitching together two thicknesses of fabric with some soft substance between them" is recorded by 1590s.
c. 1200, "a wallet, leather bag," from Old French bouge, boulge "wallet, pouch, leather bag," or directly from Latin bulga "leather sack," from PIE *bhelgh- "to swell," extended form of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell." Transferred sense of "a swelling, a rounded protuberance" is recorded by 1620s. Bilge (q.v.) might be a nautical variant. The meaning "bulging part of a military front" is from 1916, hence the World War II Battle of the Bulge (1944).
1590s, intransitive, "become irregularly ridged or wrinkled," possibly a frequentative form of pock, dialectal variant of poke "bag, sack" (see poke (n.1)), which would give it the same notion as in purse (v.). OED writes that it was "prob. earlier in colloquial use." "Verbs of this type often shorten or obscure the original vowel; compare clutter, flutter, putter, etc." [Barnhart]. Transitive sense of "draw up or contract into irregular folds or wrinkles" is from 1610s. Related: Puckered; puckering.
mid-15c., "portable equipment of an army; plunder, loot," from Old French bagage "baggage, (military) equipment" (14c.), from bague "pack, bundle, sack," probably ultimately from the same Scandinavian source that yielded bag (n.). Later used of the bags, trunks, packages, etc., of a traveler (in this sense British English historically prefers luggage). Baggage-smasher (1847) was American English slang for "railway porter."
Used disparagingly, "worthless woman, strumpet" from 1590s; sometimes also playfully, "saucy or flirtatious woman" (1670s). Emotional baggage "detrimental unresolved feelings and issues from past experiences" is attested by 1957.
