noun
baggage
Cases used to carry belongings while traveling
Where it comes from
Baggage entered Middle English through French bagage for belongings or equipment carried on a journey, especially the transportable equipment of an army. It was related to French bagues, belongings; the deeper origin of bag is uncertain.
How the meaning developed
The load a traveler carries became a metaphor for beliefs, memories, and circumstances carried out of the past. Emotional and cultural baggage can burden the present, though the contents have no physical weight.
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In use
Baggage first meant belongings carried on a journey, including an army’s movable equipment.
Emotional baggage weighs nothing, but we still carry it.
Sources
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-09-30. Report a correction.