valise

American  

[vuh-lees, -leez] / vəˈlis, -ˈliz /

noun

valises plural

1. a small piece of luggage that can be carried by hand, used to hold clothing, toilet articles, etc.; suitcase; traveling bag.

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valise British  

/ vəˈliːz /

noun

1. a small overnight travelling case

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• valises
  plural

Etymology

Origin of valise

1605–15; < French < Italian valigia, of obscure origin; compare Medieval Latin valēsium

Explanation

A valise is a small suitcase. If you're carrying a valise as you climb onto a train, you're probably heading off on a short vacation or a weekend trip to visit a friend. The noun valise sounds a little old-fashioned these days, but it's still a good way to talk about a satchel or overnight bag. You might pack a valise for a night at your sister's house, or carry a valise onto an airplane. In the 1600's, valise was often used to mean a soldier's small bag, and while the word has a Latin root, valisia, experts aren't sure what its origins might be.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

valise valises

They characterize the Bureau as “an extended community of autodidacts and guessworkers caught up in language inquiry and the unguarded arts,” and “a valise fiction and portable literary service in the public domain.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2021

I am willing to accept, as settlement, as many $20 bills as can be crammed into a standard-size valise and mailed to my home.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 6, 2020

She put her amplifier, a folding chair, a pillow, her new CDs and a set list of more than 100 songs into a blue valise.

From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2016

This he most emphatically proclaimed in his creation of the X, Y and Z Portfolios, a modern-day boîte en valise, after Duchamp, a “suitcase” of the artist’s most select wares.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 17, 2015

Queen Marie turned to the closet, pulled out a leather valise, and threw it on the table.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

He and his wife have schlepped materials home by train, “five big valises recently from Prague.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Models — male and female — strutted down the runway in leather cowboy hats, cowhide valises, and checkered denim jackets adorned with bull badges, their cowboy boots boasting shiny metal points.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024

These valises are a reminder of how far Talley was able to travel from his childhood in Durham and how he did so with aplomb and self-regard.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2023

But do they need vacations, and if so do they pack their Hermès valises and head to the Bahamas?

From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2010

Back at home, White and his family struggled to pile “seven trunks, four bundles, four valises, two baskets, and one hamper of provisions” onto a wagon.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy