Meanings
plural panniers
- 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.
A donkey whose talent for burdens was wondrous, So much that you'd swear he rejoiced in a load, One day had to jog under panniers so ponderous, That — down the poor Donkey fell smack on the road! His owners and drivers stood round in[…]
2016 October 28, Thomas Moore, Delphi Complete Poetical Works of Thomas Moore (Illustrated) (Delphi Poets Series), Delphi Classics, →ISBN, →OCLC2 more examples
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; […].
1945 May and June, Charles E. Lee, “The Penrhyn Railway and its Locomotives—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 138Pannier literally means carrying bags slung over the back of a beast of burden — in other words, saddle bags. Front and rear bicycle touring panniers, after being attached to their carrying racks on the bicycle, become the bicycle tourist's packbags.
1984 July, Backpacker, page 46Synonyms: creelpop/soda or poke/sack/bag >
- A decorative basket for the display of flowers or fruits.
Synonyms: corbeil
- A breadbasket.
- historicalgovernmentA piece of basketwork for protecting archers, or, filled with gravel or sand, for forming and protecting embankments, etc.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA large basket or bag fastened, usually in pairs, to the back of a bicycle or pack animal, or carried in pairs over the shoulders.
nounA decorative basket for the display of flowers or fruits.
Origin
- Latinpānārium“a bread basket”
- Old Frenchpanier
- Middle Englishpanere
- Englishpannier
From Middle English panere, panȝere, panyere, from Old French panier, paniere, from Latin pānārium (“a bread basket”), from pānis (“bread”). Doublet of panary.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan alforja
- alforjalarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Czech koš, brašna
- košlarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- brašnalarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Finnish kuormakori, pyörälaukku
- kuormakorilarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- pyörälaukkularge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- tarakkalaukkularge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- vannehoop used to expand a woman's skirt to either side
French sacoche
- sacochelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
German Packtasche, Fahrradtasche
- Packtaschelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- Fahrradtaschelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Greek καλάθι, κάνιστρο
- καλάθι (kaláthi)large basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- κάνιστρο (kánistro)large basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Icelandic þverbakskarfa, hliðarkarfa
- þverbakskarfalarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- hliðarkarfalarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Italian bisaccia
- bisaccialarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Japanese 籠, パニエ
- 籠 (kago)large basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- パニエ (panie)hoop used to expand a woman's skirt to either side
Norwegian Bokmål sideveske, sadelveske
- sideveskelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- sadelveskelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- sykkelveskelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Persian کواره
- کواره (kavâre)large basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Polish sakwa, rogówka
- sakwalarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- rogówkahoop used to expand a woman's skirt to either side
Portuguese alforje
- alforjelarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Romanian crinolină
- crinolinălarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Russian перемётная су́мка, велорюкзак
- перемётная су́мка (peremjótnaja súmka)large basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- велорюкзак (velorjukzak)large basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
- панье́ (pan'é)hoop used to expand a woman's skirt to either side
Scottish Gaelic cliabh
- cliabhlarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Spanish alforja
- alforjalarge basket or bag fastened to the back of a bicycle or pack animal
Cite this entry
pannier. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pannier
“pannier.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pannier. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pannier,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pannier.
Source: pannier on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.