Dandersson98 har iofs rätt men beteckningen uppstod redan under stridsvagnens födelse. Varjag är inne på rätt spår men...
Klippt från Wikipedia angående hur "tank" uppstod:
1. One is it first arose in British factories making the hulls of the first battle tanks: workmen and possible spies were to be given the impression they were constructing mobile water tank for the British Army, hence keeping the production of a fighting vehicle secret.[9]
2. Another is the term was first used in a secret report on the new motorised weapon presented to Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, by British Army Lt.-Col. Ernest Swinton. From this report, three possible terms emerged: cistern, motor-war car, and tank. Apparently tank was chosen due to its linguistic simplicity.[45]
3. Perhaps the most compelling story comes from Churchill's authoritative biography. To disguise the device, drawings were marked "water carriers for Russia." When it was pointed out this might be shortened to "WCs for Russia," the drawings were changed to "water tanks for Russia." Eventually the weapon was just called a tank.[46]
Själv håller jag nog på nr 3 även om jag inte läst biografin. Förklaringen är i alla fall den roligaste och jag brukar använda den när jag guidar vid museet.
Hursomhelst, nu väntar vi på Thord.
, Varjag
