Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The trunks, bags, parcels, and suitcases in which one carries one's belongings while traveling; luggage.
  • noun The movable equipment and supplies of an army.
  • noun Emotions or thoughts that stem from painful or unpleasant past experiences and that affect one's outlook or behavior.
  • noun A woman prostitute.
  • noun A girl or young woman, especially one is who impudent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A worthless person, especially a worthless woman; a strumpet.
  • noun A playful, saucy young woman: a flirt: usually in conjunction with such qualifying words as cunning, sly, saucy, etc.
  • Worthless; vile: said of persons: as, a baggage fellow.
  • noun The bags, trunks, valises, satchels, packages, etc., and their contents, which a traveler requires or takes with him on a journey: now usually called luggage in Great Britain.
  • noun Specifically The portable equipment, including the tents, clothing, utensils, and other necessaries, of an army or other moving body of men; impedimenta.
  • noun Trash; rubbish; refuse.
  • Trashy; rubbishy; refuse; worthless.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army.
  • noun The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with him on a journey; luggage.
  • noun obsolete Purulent matter.
  • noun obsolete Trashy talk.
  • noun obsolete A man of bad character.
  • noun A woman of loose morals; a prostitute.
  • noun Playful A romping, saucy girl.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Luggage; traveling equipment
  • noun uncountable, informal Factors that restrict a person's freedom, often in an intellectual or psychological way
  • noun obsolete, countable, pejorative A woman
  • noun military, countable and uncountable An army's portable equipment; its baggage train.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the portable equipment and supplies of an army
  • noun cases used to carry belongings when traveling
  • noun a worthless or immoral woman

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English bagage, from Old French bague, bundle, perhaps of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse baggi, bag, bundle. Sense 4, perhaps from French bagasse, from Provençal bagassa, ultimately from Arabic bag̣ī, prostitute, from bag̣ā, to fornicate; see bg̣y in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English bagage, from Old French bagage, from bague ("bundle"), from Germanic (compare bag).

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Examples

Comments

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  • According to a few online dictionaries, 'baggage' is also an "immoral" or "impudent" woman, or a prostitute.

    The Free Dictionary (but not Merriam Webster) is one that lists this definition.

    July 6, 2008

  • "Lately Puppetji has been reminded of the weight of the world on people's shoulders, the baggage we all carry with us from house to house, city to city, relationship to relationship, lifetime to lifetime. These illusory burdens we all carry ... This clutter that fills your mind."

    (http://puppetji.com/2010/02/new-socksang-travel-light-and-let-go-of-baggage/)

    August 9, 2011