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What is the difference? Which one is better to use for defining some baggage (not hand one).

nKognito
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2 Answers2

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OALD says both are synonyms.

The pages of baggage and luggage describe:

baggage (especially North American English) = luggage (especially British English)--bags, cases, etc. that contain somebody's clothes and things when they are travelling.

Caution: Though both are synonyms, they are not interchangeable all the time.

"It is important for parents to be aware of the emotional baggage that they bring from childhood into their children's lives"

In this context, baggage cannot be replaced by luggage.

Maulik V
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    +1. My gut is that the metaphorical meaning of baggage is supplanting the literal meaning. In informal American English, one often just says "bags" (treating "bag" as a count noun.) – hunter Jun 16 '14 at 12:20
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    I suspect that the baggage/luggage distinction may be in flux. In my region of North American, I rarely hear "baggage" used for talking about items you bring with you for travel. It is almost always "luggage" or "bags". "Baggage" is used almost exclusively for discussing emotional damage. – michelle Jun 16 '14 at 13:26
  • In the southeastern US, it's still common to hear either one. – Panzercrisis Jun 16 '14 at 15:14
  • I agree with @michelle that (at least in the US), you hear "baggage" used less and less in reference to suitcases/valises, and more in the negative sense of unwanted things being brought along (impedimentia). A train may still have a "baggage car", but "luggage" seems to have replaced it in travel by other means. – Phil Perry Jun 16 '14 at 15:14
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Luggage tends to be used literally, referring to personal objects for carrying objects while travelling. It can be used metaphorically to refer to anything or, particularly, everything that someone has brought with them, but the metaphorical usage is not that common.

Baggage, on the other hand, is frequently used metaphorically, and pejoratively. To be called a baggage is an insult, though one addressed only to women. Idiomatic phrases like emotional baggage abound, and generally imply that there is too much of it, whatever it is, and that it's not a worthy topic to consider.

In its literal meanings, baggage is something of a hypernym for luggage. On a train, a baggage car can carry both personal luggage and commercial shipments. The original term came from the idea of putting things in a bag to move, store, or hide them, and it's not hard to see where its current senses come from.

The original sense of luggage is 'something one lugs', where lug means 'carry'. This is similar to the Latin word for luggage, impedimenta, which eventually became the English word impediment, meaning 'something delaying progress', like having to lug your luggage.

John Lawler
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