pannier

IPA/ˈpæniə(r)/
KK[pˈæniɚ]IPA/ˈpæniər/

pannier — noun

  • panniersingular
  • panniersplural

1. a bag, basket, or box attached beside a bike, motorbike, or load-carrying animal

1.nounC1
Definition

a bag, basket, or box attached beside a bike, motorbike, or load-carrying animal for transporting things, often as one of two matching side containers.

Example

Zuri clipped a black pannier onto her bike before riding to work.

clip a pannier onto a bike

The guide loaded both panniers with rice before the donkeys crossed the pass.

load both panniers before a journey

Common collocations
  • bicycle pannier
  • motorcycle pannier
  • waterproof pannier
  • pair of panniers
  • pack a pannier
Synonyms
  • saddlebag

    often refers to a softer side bag, especially on bicycles, horses, or motorcycles

  • side case

    usually means a hard motorcycle box rather than any side carrier

  • basket

    more general and not necessarily fixed at the side

Grammar Patterns

a pannier on a bicycle

a pair of panniers

load/pack a pannier

Usage Note

Usually refers to one side container, while riders often talk about a pair of panniers when both sides of the bicycle or animal are fitted.

Common Mistakes

I packed the tent in the two pannier on my bike.
I packed the tent in the two panniers on my bike.
when you mean both side bags, use the plural.

2. in older women's clothing, a side hoop frame or an outer skirt gathered at the s

2.nounC2
Definition

in older women's clothing, a side hoop frame or an outer skirt gathered at the sides to make a long skirt look wider at the hips.

Example

The museum displayed a silk gown spread wide by hidden panniers.

hidden panniers shaping a gown

For the opera, Ada wore panniers under her skirt to widen the hips.

wear panniers under a skirt

Common collocations
  • hidden panniers
  • wear panniers
  • wide panniers
  • pannier dress
  • side hoops
Synonyms
  • hoop

    more general and does not specifically suggest side width at the hips

  • farthingale

    an older skirt frame with a different overall shape

  • overskirt

    only the outer cloth layer, not the supporting side frame itself

Grammar Patterns

wear panniers under a skirt

a dress with panniers

hidden panniers

Usage Note

Mostly appears in historical costume writing. The plural often names the side hoops themselves, while the singular can refer to one frame or to the style element in a dress.

Common Mistakes

The actress carried her gloves in the panniers.
The actress wore panniers under the skirt.
in this sense panniers shape the dress and are not storage bags.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all hold things, but they are used in different ways. A pannier is a side-mounted carrier attached to a bicycle, motorcycle, or pack animal, and people often talk about a matching pair. A saddlebag overlaps strongly with pannier, but it usually suggests a softer bag and is especially common for bicycles, horses, and leather motorcycle bags. A side case is narrower: it normally means a hard motorcycle box with a firm shell and lock. Basket is the broad everyday word for an open container, so it does not by itself tell you that the container hangs at the side of a vehicle or animal. If you are carrying groceries on a bike, pannier is the most exact choice.

pannier ↗saddlebagside casebasket ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word came into English through French panier, meaning a bread basket. That French form goes back to Latin panarium, a container for bread, from panis meaning bread. From the idea of a carried basket, English later extended the word to side carriers on vehicles and animals, and then to the skirt supports that widened clothing at the sides.