pack 1
/pak/ , n.
1. a group of things wrapped or tied together for easy handling or carrying; a bundle, esp. one to be carried on the back of an animal or a person: a mule pack; a hiker's pack.
2. a definite quantity or standard measure of something wrapped up or otherwise assembled for merchandising (sometimes used in combination): a pack of cigarettes; a six-pack of beer.
3. the quantity of something that is packaged, canned, or the like, at one time, in one season, etc.: last year's salmon pack.
4. a group of people or things: a pack of fools; a pack of lies.
5. a group of certain animals of the same kind, esp. predatory ones: a pack of wolves.
6. Hunting. a number of hounds, esp. foxhounds and beagles, regularly used together in a hunt.
7. a complete set of playing cards, usually 52 in number; deck.
8. backpack.
9. a considerable area of pieces of floating ice driven or packed together.
10. Metalworking. a pile of metal sheets for hot-rolling together.
11. Med.
a. a wrapping of the body in wet or dry clothes for therapeutic purposes.
b. the cloths so used.
c. Obs. the state of being so wrapped.
12. Mining.
a. Also called pack wall . a rubble wall for supporting a roof.
b. any of various other roof supports of timber, timber and rubble, or rubble and wire mesh.
13. a cosmetic material, usually of a pastelike consistency, applied either to the face or to the hair and scalp: a mud pack; a beauty pack; a henna pack.
14. pac 2 (def. 1).
15. Obs. a plot; conspiracy.
16. Obs. a low or worthless person.
v.t.
17. to make into a pack or bundle.
18. to form into a group or compact mass.
19. to fill with anything compactly arranged: to pack a trunk.
20. to put into or arrange compactly in a trunk, valise, etc., as for traveling or storage: I packed a two-week supply of clothes for the trip.
21. to press or crowd together within; cram: The crowd packed the gallery.
22. to prepare for marketing by putting into containers or packages: to pack fruit for shipping.
23. to make airtight, vaportight, or watertight by stuffing: to pack the piston of a steam engine.
24. to cover or envelop with something pressed closely around.
25. to load, as with packs: We packed the mules and then set off for the lake.
26. to carry or wear, esp. as part of one's usual equipment: to pack a gun.
27. Informal. to deliver (a powerful blow, strong message, etc.): He packs a better punch than any heavyweight in years. His speech packed a powerful plea for peace.
28. to treat with a therapeutic pack.
v.i.
29. to pack goods in compact form, as for transportation or storage (often fol. by up ).
30. to place clothes and personal items in a suitcase, trunk, etc., preparatory to traveling.
31. to be capable of or suitable for compact storage or packing for transportation: articles that pack well.
32. to crowd together, as persons: The audience packed into the auditorium.
33. to become compacted: Wet snow packs readily.
34. to collect into a group: The grouse began to pack.
35. pack in or up , to relinquish or give up; quit: One failure was no reason to pack the whole experiment in. After thirty years of touring, the violinist packed his career up and retired.
36. pack it in ,
a. to give up; abandon one's efforts: In 1972 we packed it in and moved back to Florida.
b. to cease being a nuisance.
37. pack off or away ,
a. to dispatch: We packed the kids off to camp for the summer.
b. to leave hastily.
adj.
38. transporting, or used in transporting, a pack or load: pack animals.
39. compressed into a pack; packed.
40. used in or adapted for packing: pack equipment.
41. Chiefly Scot. (of animals) tame.
[ 1175-1225; (n.) ME pak, packe pac or perh. MLG pak ; (v.) ME pakken ]
Syn. 1. See package. 4. band, company, crew. 5. See flock 1
pack 2
/pak/ , v.t.
to choose, collect, arrange, or manipulate (cards, persons, facts, etc.) so as to serve one's own purposes: to pack the deck; to pack a jury.
[ 1520-30; perh. var. of PACT ]
pack 3
/pak/ , adj.
Scot. very friendly or intimate.
[ 1780-90; perh. special use of PACK 1 ]