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Tag: pocket

A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets may also be attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag or pouch. In European clothing pockets began by being hung like purses from a belt, which could be concealed beneath a coat or jerkin and reached through a slit in the outer garment. The word appears in Middle English as pocket, and is taken from a Norman diminutive of Old French poke, pouque, modern poche, cf. pouch. The form “poke” is now only used dialectically, or in such proverbial sayings as “a pig in a poke”. Historically, the term “pocket” referred to a pouch worn around the waist by women in the 17th to 19th centuries, mentioned in the rhyme Lucy Locket. Also called a hanging pocket. “Pocket” is also a term for a sack in which hops were stored, generally with a capacity of 168–224 lb (76–102 kg). A watch pocket is a small pocket…