## Etymology
From the practice of concealing flasks of illicit liquor in the leg of a boot, especially during Prohibition. A compound of boot (Old English bōt via Old French bote) and leg (Old Norse leggr).

## AI Etymology
Bootleg comes from the practice of concealing flasks of illicit liquor in the leg of a boot, especially during Prohibition. A compound of boot (Old English bōt via Old French bote) and leg (Old Norse leggr). The historical trail runs through bote in Old French and leggr in Old Norse. Morphologically, bootleg is transparent: it draws on the practice of concealing flasks of illicit liquor in the leg of a boot, especially during Prohibition. Used as an adjective, noun, and verb, bootleg now means "made, sold, or transported illegally, especially liquor or recordings", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as bootlegger and bootlegging and related forms such as boot and leg. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

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