The Sweater

The word "sweater" does not originate from a Middle English, Latin, or German word. The word is used in Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, and Hebrew, but as far as I can tell these are just transliterations of the English word. That means that some person who spoke English had to come up with a name when the sweater was first invented. Now, he had a number of options. It could have been very descriptive and uncreative, like a "warmer", or "thick-shirt...er". British and German people say pullover, which was mostly accurate until pullovers with zippers came out.

This interests me only because I cannot imagine anyone marketing a new product that describes the bodily function that results from wearing that product. This would be like calling underwear a "Chafer". What could have been the initial conversation over naming it that? "When you wear this garment, it will probably cause you to sweat. Lets go in that direction for a name. Lets call it a 'Sweat-er'". My guess is that people liked this new, warm product so much that they just ignored the awkward name, and now we just take it for granted. I cant really think of a better name, but I probably could if it was my job and someone paid me to come up with something.