Dixy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sturdy metal pot or kettle used for cooking over an open fire, especially by soldiers on campaign
2. A portable cooking vessel, typically of tin or iron, carried and used by troops in the field
3. A field kettle or mess tin in which food and drink were heated and prepared on the march

Etymology: The pot's name crossed a continent and an ocean before it reached English. It begins with Persian "deg," meaning "pot," with the diminutive ending "-cha" added, so "degcha" meant a small cauldron. Hindi took the word as "degci," a kettle or metal cooking pot, and British soldiers and officials serving in India picked it up in that form. From there the word moved into English as "dixy" or "dixie," a sturdy nested metal pot carried in the field. The spelling shifted from the Hindi sound toward something English speakers could pronounce, and the word settled into military and camping use. The same spelling later gave the name "Dixie," which is a separate and unrelated story.

Synonyms: kettle, pot