Definition of "pannier"

pannier

/ˈpæn.ɪ.ə/

noun
plural panniers
1. 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.
  Quotations
  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 138
  Pannier 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 46
  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
2. A decorative basket for the display of flowers or fruits.
3. (historical, fashion) One of a pair of hoops used to expand the volume of a woman's skirt to either side.
4. A breadbasket.
5. (historical, military) A piece of basketwork for protecting archers, or, filled with gravel or sand, for forming and protecting embankments, etc.