Backpacks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of carrier specifically made to be worn on the back, often equipped with straps, that facilitates the transport of various items comfortably
2. A practical storage device intended to be worn on the back, which employs shoulder straps for ease of use and efficient organization
3. A bag designed to be worn on the shoulders and back for carrying personal belongings conveniently

Etymology: "Backpacks" is simply the plural of "backpack," a compound formed from "back" and "pack." Both halves are very old English words: "back" descends from Old English "bæc," and "pack" traces through Middle English and Middle Dutch to a Proto-Germanic root meaning a bundle or load tied together. Put side by side, they describe exactly what the object is: a pack carried on the back. The compound itself is comparatively recent. It first appears in print in 1896, late in the nineteenth century, when older words for such bags, like "knapsack," were already well established. The plain combination of two everyday words made the bag's purpose obvious at a glance, which helps explain why it stuck.

Synonyms: rucksacks, knapsacks, satchels, bags, carriers