I. ˈpakij, -kēj noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: probably from Dutch pakkage, from pak pack (from Middle Dutch) + -age (after bagage baggage, from Middle Dutch, from Middle English) — more at pack , baggage
1.
[ pack (II) + -age ]
archaic : the act or process of packing
the privileges of the package of cloths and certain other outward-bound goods — Patrick Colquhoun
2.
a. : a small or moderate-sized pack : bundle , parcel
carts, into which packages were being shot from the warehouses — Virginia Woolf
before any package or parcel is accepted for mailing the sender must … endorse the wrapper — U.S. Official Postal Guide
b. : a commodity in its container : a unit of a product uniformly processed, wrapped, or sealed for distribution
package of cigarettes
handled 6.8 million packages of fruits and vegetables — C.K.Baker
the biggest seller was a package of four Chinese peel tub chairs — Retailing Daily
c. : a preassembled unit ready for installation or use
with men responsible for the selection and installation of heating units, choice starts with the package itself — American Builder
a new self-contained machine gun package that is hooked on under the wings — Science News Letter
3.
a. : a covering wrapper or container
nature gave the banana a good package — advt
specifically : a protective unit for storing or shipping a commodity
designing a package that attracts the eye of the customer and at the same time protects the merchandise — Christian Science Monitor
b. : any of the various forms (as cheeses, spools, pirns, tubes) in which yarn or thread is wound for processing and handling
4. : something that resembles a package: as
a. : something organized into or constituting a compact unit
Luxembourg is a diminutive package stretching for fifty-seven miles — New York Times
formless processes that are seldom easy to put in headline packages — Joseph Alsop
wry humor, pertinent reflection, and good … melodrama, all in one package — Phil Stong
b. : a combination of related elements to be accepted or rejected as a whole
sell them a … complete package (lot, house, equipment and financing in a single transaction) — F.A.Gutheim
a series of treaties and agreements forming a single package — S.B.Fay
the purchaser is tendered a package , consisting of a specified amount of common stock with each unit of the senior issue — R.U.Cooper
specifically : a complete show or series of shows ready for presentation and usually bought by a sponsor or network for a lump sum
purchasing the entire show as a live-talent or transcribed package — Roger Barton
a quarter-hour TV package — R.L.Shayon
swung through the Midwest (as part of a jazz concert package ) — Time
c. : a combination of benefits
the consumer appeal of a dealer's credit plan depends … upon the size and composition of the package the consumer gets for what he pays — C.W.Phelps
especially : contract benefits gained through collective bargaining
a 10-cent hourly package — seven cents to go into a pension fund and three for health and welfare benefits — Wall Street Journal
d. : a combination of necessaries (as food or tickets) and services usually offered at a special rate
the sports package includes accommodations in heated cabins, with or without bath and meals; two sessions at the ski school and unlimited use of the ski lifts — O.R.Geyer
package vacation
e. slang
(1) : composite
only five feet tall but … a package of lovely curves — H.D.Osborne
(2) : the police record of a criminal
his package listed a prison record on a rape charge — Courtney McClendon
II. “, esp in pres part -kəj transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to make into or as if into a package
designers showed great ingenuity in constructing and packaging these houses — Americana Annual
furnished as a packaged -type power unit ready to operate — Air Tools
neatly packages her findings — James Hilton
his demands for Greece will probably be packaged with those for China and Turkey — New Republic
specifically : to produce as an entertainment package
will package annually six half-hour TV shows by each writer — Henry Hewes
2. : to enclose in a package or protective covering
there are two ways a designer can package this space — New Yorker
the car packages its riders like fragile merchandise — A.J.Despagni
airplanes shipped overseas are now packaged with a spray of plastic solution — Aero Products
specifically : to put (a commodity) into a protective wrapper or container for shipment or storage
cured hams … have been sent out frozen, canned, and otherwise packaged — New Yorker
the company … will package about 50 5 of its beets and 50 5 of its turnips in these bags — Lee Geist
besides aspirin … packages saccharin, eye drops, rubbing alcohol — Monsanto Magazine
III. noun
: a ready-made computer program or collection of related software
IV. transitive verb
: to present in such a way as to heighten appeal
how to package and hype political parties and candidates for the purpose of winning elections — John Lukacs