Pack, packet
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:10 pm
Came across "packet" in reading and began to think about it and its variety of uses. Goes back to pac or pak in old
English, Dutch, or German. Pack can be a noun or verb: a pack of cards, a pack of wolves, a pack (or packet) of letters. We pack our suitcases and can pack an elevator.
Then there are the aforesaid packets of letters, but also a type of ship that perhaps originally carried letters and packs or packets of things. More recently, since the '70's, the internet carries packets of digital impulses, and some dictionaries list this usage first.
Worth exploring even more, I think.
English, Dutch, or German. Pack can be a noun or verb: a pack of cards, a pack of wolves, a pack (or packet) of letters. We pack our suitcases and can pack an elevator.
Then there are the aforesaid packets of letters, but also a type of ship that perhaps originally carried letters and packs or packets of things. More recently, since the '70's, the internet carries packets of digital impulses, and some dictionaries list this usage first.
Worth exploring even more, I think.