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pan·nier or pan·ier (pănyər, -ē-ər)
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n.
1. A large wicker basket, especially:
a. One of a pair of baskets carried on the shoulders of a person or on either side of a pack animal.
b. A basket carried on a person's back.
2. A basket or pack, usually one of a pair, that fastens to the rack of a bicycle and hangs over the side of one of the wheels.
3.
a. A framework of wire, bone, or other material formerly used to expand a woman's skirt at the hips.
b. A skirt or an overskirt puffed out at the hips.
[Middle English panier, from Old French, from Latin pānārium, breadbasket, from pānis, bread; see pā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
panniered adj.
(click for a larger image)
pannier
top: wicker panniers on a pole
bottom: panniers on a bicycle
(click for a larger image)
pannier
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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