n. 1 a traveller in or on a public or private conveyance (other than the driver, pilot, crew, etc.). 2 colloq. a member of a team, crew, etc., who does no effective work. 3 (attrib.) for the use of passengers (passenger seat). passenger-mile one mile travelled by one passenger, as a unit of traffic. passenger-pigeon an extinct wild pigeon of n. America, capable of long flight.
[ ME f. OF passager f. OF passager (adj.) passing (as passage(1)): -n- as in messenger etc. ]