Containers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An item crafted to enclose or store various materials or objects
2. Items designed to carry, hold, or protect materials or goods during storage or transportation
3. Vessels or receptacles that serve to contain and secure things for easy handling or moving

Etymology: The word "container" is built from two English-visible parts: the verb "contain" and the agentive suffix "-er", which turns a verb into the thing that does the action. A container is literally something that contains. The "contain" part came into English through Old French "contenir", which in turn descended from Latin "continere", meaning to hold together or hold within, built from "con-" (together) and "tenere" (to hold). The same Latin root gives us "tenant," "tenure," and "retain." The suffix has a longer pedigree than the verb. The "-er" ending reaches back through Latin "-arius" and Proto-Germanic forms into Old English "-ere", the ending used for people and tools that carry out an action, such as "baker" or "hammer." Middle English speakers joined it to "contain" to form "conteiner," and the modern spelling "container" followed.

Synonyms: vessels, receptacles, holders, casks, bins