'bagpipe' originates from Middle English, specifically from the combination of the words 'bagge' (from Old Norse 'baggi') and 'pipe' (from Old English 'pīpe' ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'tube' or 'to pipe'), where 'bagge' meant 'bag' and 'pipe' meant 'a tube that produces sound'.

'bagpipe' changed from Middle English forms such as 'bagpype' or 'bagpipes' and eventually became the modern English word 'bagpipe'.

Initially, it meant simply 'a pipe with a bag' (a pipe instrument using a bag for air supply), and over time it has retained that basic meaning while becoming especially associated with the traditional instruments of Scotland and other regional varieties.