Bagging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of putting items into a bag for carrying or storage ; a method in machine learning that combines multiple models to improve prediction accuracy
2. A process of packing things within a container such as a bag ; a statistical technique where several models are trained and aggregated to reduce errors
3. The action of enclosing objects in a bag typically for transport ; an ensemble learning approach that uses multiple versions of a predictor to enhance performance

Etymology: The verb comes from the noun "bag," which English probably borrowed from Old Norse "baggi," meaning a bundle or pack. The earliest idea was a loosely gathered load rather than a container with a fixed shape, so putting goods into a bag for carrying is close to the original sense. The machine-learning meaning is a clipped coinage. "Bagging" is short for "bootstrap aggregating," a name given by the statistician Leo Breiman. The method trains many versions of a predictor, each on a random resample of the same data drawn with replacement, then combines their predictions. The "bag" image refers to that pool of resampled datasets, from which each version draws its training examples.

Synonyms: packing, wrapping, encasing, enclosing, bundling

Antonyms: unpacking, removing, unwrapping, discarding, emptying