pannier Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun either of a pair of bags or boxes hung over the rear wheel of a vehicle (as a bicycle)
  2. noun a large basket (usually one of a pair) carried by a beast of burden or on by a person
  3. noun set of small hoops used to add fullness over the hips

WordNet

Pan"nier noun
Etymology
F. panier, fr. L. panarium a bread basket, fr. panis bread. Cf. Pantry.
Definitions
  1. A bread basket; also, a wicker basket (used commonly in pairs) for carrying fruit or other things on a horse or an ass Hudibras.
  2. (Mil. Antiq.) A shield of basket work formerly used by archers as a shelter from the enemy's missiles.
  3. A table waiter at the Inns of Court, London.
  4. A framework of steel or whalebone, worn by women to expand their dresses; a kind of bustle.

Webster 1913