Bag

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbæɡ/

Definitions

1. A flexible container made from various materials used for carrying or storing items ; to put something into such a container ; to obtain or secure something, often as a prize or achievement
2. A typically soft receptacle for holding possessions, groceries, or other goods ; the act of placing objects inside such a receptacle ; to acquire or win something, especially in a competitive context
3. A sack or pouch designed to transport or contain objects ; to fill or load such a container with items ; to successfully claim or gather something, often by effort or luck

Etymology: The word "bag" is traced to a Middle English noun, and its roots reach back into Old Norse. Old Norse "bǫggr" meant "harm, shame" but also "load" or "burden," and the English word seems to have picked up the sense of something carried. Its close relative in Old French, "bague," meant a bundle, package or sack, so the idea of a bundled load runs through several languages. The surprising twist is the link to an ancient Germanic root that also gave rise to words for burdens and hardship. A thing you carry was, in other words, first imagined as a weight rather than as a container. The sense of an object for holding goods came later, as the idea of a load narrowed to a sack or pouch.

Synonyms: sack, pouch, pack, container, holdall

Antonyms: unbag, empty