Definition

1. Noun:
   • Luggage; suitcases, bags, and other containers used to transport personal belongings during travel: "Baggage" most commonly refers to the items packed for a journey, typically checked or carried onto a plane, train, etc.
   • The portable equipment and supplies of an army: In a military context, "baggage" denotes the movable equipment and provisions accompanying an army on the march.
   • (Archaic, offensive) A worthless or immoral woman: This is an archaic, derogatory, and offensive use of the word to refer to a woman, implying she is troublesome or of low character.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Luggage):
  • Please collect your baggage from the carousel.
  • The airline allows one piece of carry-on baggage.
• Noun (Military):
  • The army's baggage train followed behind the main column.
• Noun (Archaic/Offensive):
  • The character in the old play was described as a "saucy baggage". (This usage is now considered highly offensive and is only found in historical texts.)

Advanced Usage

• Emotional/psychological baggage: This metaphorical use refers to past experiences, traumas, or problems that a person carries with them, affecting their current life or relationships.
  • He entered the new relationship with a lot of emotional baggage from his previous marriage.
• Intellectual baggage: Refers to preconceived ideas, biases, or outdated theories that one carries.
  • We must shed the intellectual baggage of the past to understand this new concept.

Variants and Related Words

• Bag (n/v): A container made of flexible material; to put items into such a container.
• Baggage claim (n): The area in an airport where passengers collect their checked luggage.
• Baggage handler (n): An airport employee who loads and unloads luggage from aircraft.
• Baggage carousel (n): The rotating conveyor belt that delivers checked luggage.

Synonyms

• Luggage: (More common in British English) Personal belongings packed for travel.
• Baggage and luggage are often used interchangeably, though "luggage" is sometimes considered slightly more formal.
• Equipment, gear, kit: (For the military sense) The necessary items for a specific purpose.

Related Phrases

• Excess baggage: Luggage that exceeds the weight or size allowance, often incurring an extra fee. Used metaphorically to describe unnecessary burdens.
  • His negative attitude is just excess baggage for the team.
• Baggage check: The receipt or tag given when checking luggage; or the act of leaving luggage in a temporary storage area.
  • Don't lose your baggage check stub.

Idioms

• Bag and baggage: With all one's belongings; completely.
  • They were evicted, bag and baggage.
• Leave your baggage at the door: (Metaphorical) To consciously decide not to let past issues affect a current situation.
  • For this meeting, we need to leave our departmental baggage at the door and focus on the company's goal.

Noun

1. the portable equipment and supplies of an army
2. a worthless or immoral woman
3. cases used to carry belongings when traveling