The development and usage of the pants pockets can be used as a metaphor for the development of human cognition in terms of collectivty and collation for items a person thinks are valuable and needs to be secured as well as kept in close proximity to oneself as a tool... quite suggestive of being a type of memory "module" being modified and multiplied over time... and sometimes used ostentatiously to provide a publicly viewable pretence of enlarged importance and uniqueness; just as some do by publicly displaying a talent for some model of practiced memorization skill.
First, let me describe a bit of history about the word "pocket" which can be derived from its definition:
Internet Query: "Where did the word "pocket" originate?"
AI Overview:
The word "pocket" comes from the Middle English word pokete, meaning a small bag, which was a diminutive of Old French poque ("bag"). This term, of Germanic origin and related to the word "poke," entered English in the mid-14th century, initially referring to a small bag or quantity of goods before developing into its modern sense of a small pouch sewn into a garment by the 15th century.
Evolution of the word "pocket"
- Proto-Germanic Roots:
- The word traces back to the Proto-Germanic root puk- or pukô, meaning "bag" or "pouch".
- Old French and Anglo-Norman:
- It was borrowed from the Old North French poque ("bag"), which was then made into the diminutive pokete or pochete by the Anglo-Normans in the 13th century.
- Middle English:
- The term pokete appeared in Middle English writing by the mid-14th century.
- Modern English:
- By the 15th century, "pocket" began to describe any small bag or pouch worn on a person, eventually leading to the sewn-in pockets found in garments today.
- Related Terms
- Poke: The English word "poke" (meaning a sack or bag) is related to "pocket" and comes from a similar Germanic root.
- Pouch: The word "pouch" also shares the same Germanic and Old French roots as "pocket".
- Pochette: The modern French word pochette is a doublet and a diminutive of the same source word.
Internet query: "Origin of the word poke"
AI response: The English word "poke" (to prod or jab) comes from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, with a probable Proto-Germanic imitative root puk-. The Hawaiian word "poke" (meaning to slice or cut), refers to the fish dish, and is unrelated, though the English "poke" also refers to a bag, which is connected to the word "pocket" and the phrase "pig in a poke".
The verb "to poke"- Origin:
- The verb "poke" entered English around 1300 from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, meaning "to jab with a knife".
- Meaning:
- It generally means to push or thrust something with something pointed or long, like a finger or stick.
- Figurative use:
- It can also mean to move in a slow or ineffective way, as seen in the phrases "to poke along" or "poke around".
- The noun "poke" (bag or sack)
- Origin: This use of "poke" is also from English, derived from the verb "to poke".
- Meaning: It refers to a bag or sack.
- Connections: It is the root of the word "pocket". It also appears in the idiom "pig in a poke," referring to a pig in a sack purchased unseen at market.
- Dialectal use: In some dialects, particularly in the American South and Appalachia, "poke" is still used to mean a bag.
- The Hawaiian word "poke"
- Origin: The Hawaiian word "poke" is entirely different from the English word.
- Meaning: In Hawaiian, "poke" means "to slice" or "to cut," describing the way raw fish is prepared for the dish of the same name.
Internet query: "Origin of the word cowpoke"
AI Orview: The term "cowpoke" originated in the mid-to-late 19th century, likely around 1881, to describe the cowboys who used poles to "poke" or prod cattle onto railroad cars for shipping or onto the trail. The word combines "cow" and the verb "poke," referring to the action of pushing or driving cattle forward. The term could also refer to a device used on an animal's neck to prevent it from escaping fences.
Breakdown of "Cowpoke"- Cow: Refers to cattle.
- Poke:
- A verb meaning to prod or push.
- A noun referring to a pole or a device used to poke or control livestock.
Origin and Usage
- Mid-19th Century:
- The word "cowpoke" appeared around this time, initially referring to the poles used to herd cattle.
- Mid-to-Late 19th Century:
- By the late 1800s, the term began to describe the men who used these poles to move cattle, especially onto train cars.
- Context:
- The term is a regional dialect term, particularly common in the Southwestern U.S., to refer to a cowboy or cowgirl.
Similar Terms
- Cowpuncher: A similar term that also refers to cowboys who used poles to prod cattle.
- Cowhand: A more general term for someone who tends cattle.
At this interval let me provide a brief account of the Pocket's development:
Internet query: "Origin of the pants pocket"
AI Overview: The first pant pockets were small, sewn-in pouches in the 17th century, evolving from earlier separate waist pouches. The small pocket on jeans was designed by Levi Strauss & Jacob Davis in 1873 to hold pocket watches, a common accessory at the time, for miners and laborers. The original waist overalls had four pockets, with the fifth pocket being the left rear pocket added later in 1901, and this entire history of pockets has been a continuous evolution to suit changing needs and styles.
Early Pockets
- Pre-17th Century:
- People carried essential items in separate pouches or bags that were tied around the waist or concealed within clothing. The word "pocket" itself comes from the Old Northern French word "poque," meaning bag.
- 17th Century:
- Pockets began to be sewn directly into men's garments, though they remained an accessory for women, tied to the waist and accessed through openings in their skirts.
Levi's Pockets and the Pocket Watch Pouch
- 1873:
- Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent for their reinforced work pants, known as "waist overalls," which would later become jeans.
- The "Watch Pocket":
- The original design included a small, high pocket on the right side of the front of the pants, specifically to hold a pocket watch.
- Post-1873:
- The first jeans had four pockets (two front, a small pocket on the right, and a back pocket). The mass production of these jeans in the 1890s included the small watch pocket, which remains a standard feature today.
The "Fifth Pocket"
- Early 1900s:
- A second pocket was added to the back of the jeans, making it the now-familiar five-pocket design.
- Evolutionary Function:
- While initially designed for pocket watches, the small watch pocket has found new purposes, holding everything from matches and coins to modern-day flash drives.
Deeper Dive AI option:
origin of the pants pocketThe modern sewn-in pants pocket began with separate, detachable pouches worn under clothing in the 17th century. Before that, people of all genders carried items in tied-on belts or pouches, but rising theft led to a need for more secure storage. The first functional, integrated pockets were created for men's garments, including trousers.
The transition from pouches to pockets- Pouches and pickpockets: For centuries, people carried their belongings in small, tie-on bags or pouches (the root of the word "pocket" is the Old French poque, meaning "bag"). However, these visible pouches were vulnerable to "cutpurses"— thieves who would snip the string holding the pouch and steal its contents.
- Hiding the pouch: To combat theft, people started wearing these pouches hidden under their clothes. This was done by cutting slits, or fitchets, into their outer garments to access the pouch underneath.
- The sewn-in pocket: The modern pocket emerged in the 17th century when tailors began sewing the pouch directly into the lining of men's clothing, including trousers. This innovation provided a more secure and discreet way to carry items.
Divergence of men's and women's pockets
In the 17th century, men and women took different paths in their pocket design.
- Men's integrated pockets: For men, pockets were fully integrated into their suits, coats, and trousers. This led to a variety of specialized pockets, such as the watch and ticket pockets.
- Women's separate pouches: For women, pockets remained separate, tie-on garments worn under their voluminous skirts and petticoats. As fashion shifted toward slimmer silhouettes in the 18th and 19th centuries, these bulky pockets were abandoned in favor of small, hand-held bags called reticules— the predecessors of modern handbags. This is a historical root of the modern disparity in pocket sizes between men's and women's clothing.
Evolution in the modern era
- The five-pocket jean: In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented the first riveted blue jeans. These original "waist overalls" included two front pockets and a tiny watch pocket. A second back pocket was added in 1901, creating the iconic five-pocket design we know today.
- The push for practicality: The 20th century saw women's pockets become more common and functional, influenced by movements like the Rational Dress Society in the 1880s and the more practical clothing of the World War eras. However, the fashion industry has continued to prioritize aesthetics over function for women, with smaller or even fake pockets remaining common.
As a short, but related topic, permit me to momentarily digress by mentioning The History of Cargo Pants (by KARU), which can a multiplicity of pockets:
Military OriginsCargo pants, like many other things we love here at Heddels, originated as a utility focused, widely-issued (well, at least for military personnel) garment.
In 1938, cargo pants made its debut in the British Battle Dress Uniform (BDU). The cargos marked the British BDU’s transition from formality-focused to practicality-focused garments. The olive green camouflaged soldiers into the background terrain while the looser silhouette provided a better ease of movement. The large pockets were handy for carrying extra supplies, including ammunition and maps. A key feature of the original cargo pants is the two pocket design, having only pockets on the left thigh and the right hip. No back pockets were part of this design.
The original cargo design made its way across the pond during the 1940s, when a similar pair of trousers was adopted by American paratroopers. US Army Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough adopted the design of the 1938 British cargos by taking the loose silhouette and adding extra pockets on both sides. Paratroopers were quite literally thrown out of a plane into action and all the extra spaces meant extra supplies could be carried, allowing for the paratroopers to be better prepared.... (H.O.B. note: Perhaps because the backpack, and conventional shirt/pants pockets as well as boots, underwear and body cavities were not enough extra spaces.)
The Three Main FlavorsWhen cargo pants are mentioned today, three main designs come to mind. The M-47, M-51 and the M-65 iterations. The M-47 is the more elegant and simple of the trio, while the M-51 and M-65 are the more rugged and utilitarian options.
The M-47 iteration comes from the French military BDU introduced in 1947. Original M-47s are made from a rugged cotton herringbone twill. They have deep, chino-like slash pockets, cargo pockets on each leg and button tabs fitted just above the leg opening. The French based the M-47 on the US paratrooper trousers.
Production of the M-47 spanned from the late 1940s and 50s (known as early era) until the 60’s (known as the late era). An easy way to identify the era of M-47s is with the waist button. Late era M-47s have two buttons while early era M-47s only have 1.
The M-51 is the first cargo to have 6 pockets. Adopted by the US military in 1951 along with the M-51 field jacket, the trouser-jacket duo were designed for the extreme cold. Compared to the M-47, it has a looser, true straight fit. The M-51 has an adjustable waist draw-cord on the side, and also a hem opening draw-cord. Like the M-47, vintage M-51s are made from a cotton fabric with mostly double stitching.
The M-65 is the successor of the M-51, named because (you guessed it) the US Army adopted it in 1965. Unlike the M-47 and the M-51, the M-65 is made from a full nylon fabric or nylon-cotton blend fabric. The M-51 and M-65 have very roomy fits throughout because it is designed to be able to fit a padded quilt liner as an “inner-trouser” during cold missions.
A point about pockets and their placement on pants is to state the obvious: There are more pockets on the front of the pants then the back of the pants. The variations for the back of pants is to have three options:
- No pockets.
- 1 pocket.
- 2 pockets.
Hence, by including the adoption of the small coin/watch pocket developed by the Levi Jeans company, the two-pocket standard evolved into a 3-standard pockets ensemble... at least for Levi Jeans and its copycats. Similarly, if we think of the human body as a microcosmic representation of exhibited time, the back is the past, the front is the future, and present is the positioning of accessory pockets on the sides. In other words, like the development of enumeration over time as an expressed indication of human cognitive development, the presence of dualities was in the past or "back" of history, while the developmental usage of the "three" was adopted later on in the future or "front" or historical forward.
While pockets may have initially originated long ago as a fad that took awhile before their utility became a convincing selling point to be used by manufacturers; setting aside fashion and fads as if they were the occasional mutation that may or may not have some viable staying power of rebirth, we are presented with a metaphor of both enumeration and conservation. In other words, despite some cargo-pant variety sprouting multiple pockets inline with some egotistically displayed assumption a person may have about themselves as if more pockets represent a greater worth, and fewer or no pockets somehow exhibiting some notion of elegance and thus excellence; we do not see every inch of pants material being used for a pocket or a standard nesting doll-like behavior of creating a pocket within a pocket within a pocket.
Hence, as a suggested metaphor, the design and usage of pockets and the recurring quantitative enumerations (and consecutive application), provide a tell-tale indication of human cognitive behavior over time (like the development of counting with its recurring conservations), though a reader might want to describe other products and activities with a similar unrealized intention.
Page initially created: Saturday, August 30th, 2025... 1:27 AM
Initial posting: Saturday, August 30th, 2025... 3:15 AM