I. ˈbagij, -aig-, -gēj noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English bagage, from Middle French, from bague bundle (perhaps from Old Norse baggi bag) + -age
1. : a group of traveling bags, trunks, or both especially when packed and in transit : personal belongings of travelers either carried by hand or checked with a carrier : luggage
the baggage was brought from the attic for packing
since there were only a couple of small pieces, the traveler carried his own baggage
2. : equipment that is transported or that can be transported
the baggage of an army
: furnishings, apparatus
the baggage of a science laboratory
3.
a. : a combination of extraneous, superfluous, or intrusive things and circumstances that may impede free activity, progress, or the attainment of a specific goal
smooth speech and writing depend very much upon freedom from purist grammar and from other linguistic baggage
b. : theories, notions, or practices viewed as outmoded or as otherwise conflicting with and retarding desirable development
cultural baggage which the Puritans brought from England to America in the seventeenth century — I.V.Brown
mental baggage from bygone days — D.G.Haring
4.
[probably by folk etymology from Middle French bagasse, from Old Provençal bagassa ]
a. : a worthless or vile woman
and it's wicked of me. You must think me a shameless baggage — Max Peacock
a disreputable old baggage , dealing in grass skirts and shrunken human heads — Wolcott Gibbs
: a woman of loose morals : prostitute
b. : a young woman or girl ; especially : a girl or young woman who is the object of affection, playfulness, usually gentle criticism, or a somewhat patronizing attitude
a toothsome blond baggage — New Yorker
she's a pretty little baggage — Walter O'Meara
II. adjective
obsolete : worthless , trashy , rubbishy
a baggage scroundel