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Origin of bootleg

An Americanism first recorded in 1625–35; boot1 + leg; secondary senses arose from practice of hiding a liquor bottle in the leg of one's boot

OTHER WORDS FROM bootleg

boot·leg·ger, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to bootleg

contraband, illicit, unauthorized, pirated, smuggled, bootlegged, unlawful, unofficial, black-market, under-the-counter, unsanctioned

Example sentences from the Web for bootleg

British Dictionary definitions for bootleg

bootleg
/ (ˈbuːtˌlɛɡ) /

verb -legs, -legging or -legged

to make, carry, or sell (illicit goods, esp alcohol)

noun

something made or sold illicitly, such as alcohol during Prohibition in the US
an illegally made copy of a CD, tape, etc

adjective

produced, distributed, or sold illicitlybootleg whisky; bootleg tapes

Derived forms of bootleg

bootlegger, noun

Word Origin for bootleg

C17: see boot 1, leg; from the practice of smugglers of carrying bottles of liquor concealed in their boots
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012