Pouch and Pocket Are the Same Word Twice Over
A pouch is a small bag. It and pocket both descend from one root, arriving in English by different routes.
A pouch is a small flexible bag, and in zoology the abdominal pocket of a marsupial. *Pouch* and *pocket* are doublets — the same original word entering English twice. Both come from an Old North French *poque* or *pouque*, a bag; *pocket* is the diminutive form, a little bag. Modern French *poche* is the same word again. A kangaroo's pouch is called a *marsupium* in Latin, which is exactly why the animals are called marsupials.
- A small bag. *A leather pouch.*
- A marsupial's pocket. *A kangaroo's pouch.*
- Pocket — the doublet. *A coat pocket.*
- Poke — an old word for a bag. *A pig in a poke.*
- Marsupium — the Latin term. *Marsupium.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pouch | A pouch. |
| Plural | pouches | Pouches. |
| Verb | pouch | Pouched. |
| Doublet | A pocket. | |
| French | poche | A pocket. |
- He kept tobacco in a leather pouch.Bag.
- The joey climbed into the pouch.Zoology.
- Pocket is a little pouch.Etymology.
The bag family in English
- Pouch — the full-size bag
- Pocket — literally a little pouch
- Poke — an old northern word, kept in *a pig in a poke*
- Poach (eggs) — probably related, the egg sits in a pocket of white
- Marsupial — from Latin *marsupium*, a pouch
Old North French *pouche*, a variant of Old French *poche*, a bag, probably from a Germanic source.
Are pouch and pocket related?
Yes, they are doublets. Pocket is the diminutive, meaning a little pouch, and both go back to the same Old French bag word.
Why are kangaroos called marsupials?
From Latin marsupium, a pouch, the defining feature of the group.