bag / bag/ • n. 1. a container of flexible material with an opening at the top, used for carrying things: brown paper bags. ∎  an amount held by such a container: a bag of apples. ∎  a thing resembling a bag in shape. ∎  a woman's handbag or purse. ∎  a piece of luggage: she began to unpack her bags. ∎  Baseball a base.2. the amount of game shot by a hunter.3. (usu. bags) a loose fold of skin under a person's eye: the bags under his eyes gave him a sad appearance.4. inf., derog. a woman, esp. an older one, perceived as unpleasant, bad-tempered, or unattractive: an interfering old bag.5. (one's bag) inf. one's particular interest or taste: if religion and politics are your bag, you'll find something to interest you here. • v. (bagged, bag·ging) [tr.] 1. put (something) in a bag: customers bagged their own groceries.2. (of a hunter) succeed in killing or catching an animal: in 1979, handgun hunters bagged 677 deer. ∎ fig. succeed in securing (something): we've bagged three awards for excellence. ∎ inf. take, occupy, or reserve (something) before someone else can do so: get there early to bag a seat in the front row.3. [intr.] (of clothes, esp. pants) hang loosely or lose shape: these trousers never bag at the knee.4. quit; give up on: it was a drag to be in the ninth grade at 17, so he bagged it.PHRASES: bag and baggage with all one's belongings: he threw her out bag and baggage.a bag (or whole bag) of tricks inf. a set of ingenious plans, techniques, or resources: hoteliers are using a whole new bag of tricks to keep their guests on the premises.be left holding the bagsee hold.in the bag inf. 1. (of something desirable) as good as secured: the election is in the bag.2. drunk: I don't think my parents even suspected that I was half in the bag.DERIVATIVES: bag·ful / -ˌfoŏl/ n. (pl. -fuls) .

bag (multiset)
1. An unordered collection of items where more than one instance of the same item is allowed.

2. Any data structure representing a bag. Representations are similar to those used for sets. In a set, however, it is only necessary to represent the presence (or absence) of an element whereas in a bag it is also necessary to represent the number of times it occurs.

Bag

a measure varying in size and quantity; the amount of game killed at one time.

Examples: bag of almonds [three hundred-weight], 1751; of hops, 1679; of potatoes [three bushels to the bag]; of sugar [75 kilos]; of tricks; bag and baggage [‘all the property of an army’].

bag bag and baggage with all one's belongings, completely. Originally, this was a military phrase denoting all the property of an army collectively, and of the soldiers individually, and to march out with bag and baggage indicated that an army or a commander was making an honourable retreat, without surrender of any possessions.
bag lady a homeless woman who carries her possessions around in shopping bags; the phrase was first recorded in the US in the 1970s.

bag XIII. poss. Scand., cf. ON. baggi; but similar forms are found in Rom., cf. OF. bague, Pr. baga baggage.
Hence bagpipe XIV, prob. tr. MLG. sackpīpe, Du. †zakpijp.