| 词源 |
demijohn. The shape of a portly lady is suggested by the demi- john, which is narrow at the neck and round in the body. For this reason some etymologists trace the word, first recorded in 1769, to the French Dame Jeanne, “Lady Jane,” theorizing that the large glass bottle was named for some forgotten French housewife whose bulging figure it resembled, or for such portly women in general. The theory that demijohn is a corruption of Damaghan, a Persian town where glassware was manufactured, is not generally accepted. A demijohn generally holds five gal- lons and is usually encased in wickerwork. See also bellarmine. |