demijohn n.

"large bottle with a bulging body and a narrow neck," typically holding about 5 gallons, 1769, partial translation and word-play from French damejeanne (late 17c.), literally "Lady Jane," a term used for a large globular wicker-wrapped bottle, perhaps because its shape suggested a stout woman in the costume of the period. A general Mediterranean word, with forms found in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic.