English

hardpack

From hard + pack.

A compound of hard + pack

Proto-Germanic *harduz

Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī)

Old English heard ‘hard’

Middle English hard

English hard

Proto-Germanic *pakkô ‘bundle, pack’

Proto-West Germanic *pakkō

Middle English pak ‘a bundle or package’

English pack

Today it means

noun A material (such as dirt, gravel, or snow) compressed into a hard, smooth surface for roads etc.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / hardpack