baggage

American  

[bag-ij] / ˈbæg ɪdʒ /

noun

1. trunks, suitcases, etc., used in traveling; luggage.

2. the portable equipment of an army.

3. things that encumber one's freedom, progress, development, or adaptability; impediments.

   intellectual baggage that keeps one from thinking clearly; neurotic conflicts that arise from struggling with too much emotional baggage.

4. Archaic.

   1. a worthless woman.

   2. a prostitute or disreputable woman.

   3. Often Disparaging. a pert, playful young woman or girl.

      a pretty baggage; a saucy baggage.

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baggage British  

/ ˈbæɡɪdʒ /

noun

1. 1. suitcases, bags, etc, packed for a journey; luggage

   2. ( as modifier )

      baggage car

2. an army's portable equipment

3. informal

   1. a pert young woman

   2. an immoral woman or prostitute

4. informal a cantankerous old woman

5. informal previous knowledge and experience that a person may use or be influenced by in new circumstances

   cultural baggage

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Etymology

Origin of baggage

1400–50; late Middle English bagage < Middle French, equivalent to Old French bag ( ues ) bundles, packs (perhaps < Old Norse; bag ) + -age -age

Example Sentences

JetBlue increased baggage fees, Cathay Pacific boosted fuel fees and United reduced summer flight schedules.

From The Wall Street Journal

Travelers forced to navigate a wait for security screening that stretched through the baggage claim area, according to social media reports Sunday.

From Barron's

Eastern time on Sunday, according to reports on social media, with travelers forced to navigate a wait for security screening that stretched through the baggage claim area.

From Barron's

"I went to the baggage area and Joshua, my brother, had rang me and he told me that they had gone," she said.

From BBC

“There’s a lot of baggage wrapped up in piety,” Mr. Sasse says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• equipment
• gear
• luggage
• paraphernalia