Why is a Boot called a boot in the UK?

dubdubz · Jun 13, 2010

Whilst on holiday with my pal who lives in the US he asked about a few UK words which are different to the US

one that I had zero idea about was

boot [on a car obviously] - why is it called so - google wasn't my friend and only found one vague reference to a boot locker?

anyone?

buddysbuddy · Jun 13, 2010

Surely we should be asking them these questions....?

Hood? Trunk? Fanny Pack? Freeway? Sidewalk?

etc etc etc...... it's our language....they changed it! :lol:

I understood the boot word to be in kind of reference to clothes......in a similar way to Bonnet (type of hat)

No idea why though!

retro · Jun 13, 2010

buddysbuddy said:
Surely we should be asking them these questions....?

Hood? Trunk? Fanny Pack? Freeway? Sidewalk?

etc etc etc...... it's our language....they changed it! :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: and where did sneakers come from?...and a marathon bar will always be a marathon, not a snickers and opal fruits will never be starbursts :lol:

buddysbuddy said:
I understood the boot word to be in kind of reference to clothes......in a similar way to Bonnet (type of hat)

No idea why though!

that would be my understanding of it, bonnet ie hat..worn at the top end of a person..so the top end of a car..and boot worn at the lower end of the person, so theback end of the car

monkeyvanwestybike · Jun 13, 2010

Fender! :lol:

Trikky2 · Jun 13, 2010

I think the term boot came from the storage area in a horse drawn coach. Presumably in the states they strapped a large cabin trunk onto the vehicle. Dont know about bonnet and hood though :lol:

Guest · Jun 13, 2010

The boot or trunk of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as East Asia. In earlier usage, a boot was a built-in compartment on a horse-drawn coach, used originally as a seat for the coachman and later for storage.
The cargo compartment is most often located at the rear of the vehicle. Storage areas are normally at the other end of the vehicle to which the engine is located. Some mid-engined cars (such as the Ferrari 360) and rear-engined cars (such as the Volkswagen Beetle) have it in the front. Vehicles such as the Volkswagen Type 3, had storage compartments in the front and in the rear, above the low profile boxer engine. The mid-engined Fiat X1/9 also had two storage compartments, although the rear one was very small.

from wikipedia, probably historically named from the old horse and carriage