the.com/demijohn
A glass belly so big it needs a wicker straitjacket and two strong friends.
means A large bulbous glass bottle, usually holding several gallons and wrapped in protective wicker or basketwork, used for storing or transporting liquids like wine or oil.
from From the French 'dame-jeanne,' literally 'Lady Jane' — a playful personification of the fat, round vessel as a portly matron. English speakers heard the French and reshaped it into 'demijohn' by folk etymology, as if it were part 'demi-' (half) and part 'John,' though neither half nor any actual John is involved. The French name itself is old, and where 'Lady Jane' first got attached to a bottle is genuinely uncertain — but the swap from French dame to English John is a lovely example of the ear remaking a foreign word into something familiar.
- name origin
- From French dame-jeanne, meaning Lady Jane
- capacity
- Holds up to 60 gallons of liquid
- wicker armor
- The basket weave stops cracks during transport
- home use
- Beloved by winemakers for slow fermentation
- second life
- Empty ones now command absurd decorator prices
demijohn of bordeaux wine — traditional french glass vessels holding 4.5 liters, used for aging wines in the bordeaux region since the 18th century
carboy in home brewing — 5-gallon glass demijohns widely used by american homebrewers for fermentation since the 1970s craft beer revival