Bag
nounA flexible container, usually with an open top, used to hold or carry items.
How to spell bag
3 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce bag
What does bag mean?
- nounA flexible container, usually with an open top, used to hold or carry items.
- verbTo catch, secure, or successfully obtain something, often informally.
Bag in a sentence
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noun
She packed her lunch into a paper bag before leaving.
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verb
They hoped to bag the last two tickets before the show sold out.
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noun
The heavy shopping bag split open on the way home.
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verb
She managed to bag a great deal on the flights this morning.
Where does bag come from?
Language of origin: Old Norse
The word bag comes into English from Old Norse baggi, which meant a pack, bundle, or sack carried on the back. Norse settlers brought the term to England during the Viking age, and it took hold in northern English speech before spreading more widely by the 1200s. The original sense was simply a flexible container for carrying goods, and that core meaning has stayed remarkably stable across the centuries. Over time the noun also grew an informal verb use, first in hunting (to bag game) and later meaning to catch, claim, or secure something. The spelling is mercifully phonetic, with a short vowel and a single g, which is why even careful adults rarely stumble over it.
How the word is built
- bag (single root, no affixes; from Old Norse baggi: a pack or bundle)
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