Pygg

Pygg is a type of orange clay, once widely used for making pottery in the form of jars, cookware and other household items because it was economical.

A piggy bank was originally a "pygg jar". Later, the word "pygg" became less common, and its sound was reinterpreted as "pig"; only then did piggy banks actually begin to be made in the shape of a pig.

The original pronunciation of "pygg" was probably closer to "pug", but over time the pronunciation changed due to the Great Vowel Shift and became a homonym of "pig".

External links

* http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpiggybank.htm
* http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpiggy.html