Pannier
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A large basket or bag fastened, usually in pairs, to the back of a bicycle or pack animal, or carried in pairs over the shoulders.
"Until 1785 the slates were conveyed from the quarries to the port in panniers on the backs of horses, but in that year Lord Penrhyn built a good road from the quarry to the village of Llandegai (on the Chester and Holyhead road) and also continued it in the opposite direction a further nine miles to Capel Curig; […]."
- 2 set of small hoops used to add fullness over the hips wordnet
- 3 A decorative basket for the display of flowers or fruits.
- 4 a large basket (usually one of a pair) carried by a beast of burden or on by a person wordnet
- 5 One of a pair of hoops used to expand the volume of a woman's skirt to either side. historical
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- 6 either of a pair of bags or boxes hung over the rear wheel of a vehicle (as a bicycle) wordnet
- 7 A breadbasket.
- 8 A piece of basketwork for protecting archers, or, filled with gravel or sand, for forming and protecting embankments, etc. historical
Example
More examples"Carry bear spray and have it accessible on your body — not in your pack or pannier. Bring your own or rent from the Alaska Geographic Book Store near the Denali Visitor Center. You can also buy bear spray in the Nenana River Canyon commercial area."
Etymology
From Middle English panere, panȝere, panyere, from Old French panier, paniere, from Latin pānārium (“a bread basket”), from pānis (“bread”). Doublet of panary.
Related phrases
More for "pannier"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.