Bagpipe
/ˈbæɡ.paɪp/noun
A wind instrument with one or more reed pipes fed by air from a bag.
Did you know?The word is a straightforward compound, but the instrument’s eerie continuous drone made it a favorite in folk ritual, military, and ceremonial music across Europe.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
bagge
“A bag or sack”
Old English
OE
pīpe
“A pipe or tube”
Middle English
ME
bagge pipe
“A bag-pipe, a pipe supplied with air from a bag”
14th Century
English
bagpipe
“A musical instrument with a bag and one or more pipes”
Modern English
English
bagpipe
“The familiar wind instrument played by squeezing air from a bag through reed pipes”