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Glite Dictionary
gripsack

gripsack

9.9
A small suitcase you carry by hand for clothes and personal things
  • noun
  • /ˈɡrɪpˌsæk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : maletín
  • The detective hurriedly grabbed his gripsack and rushed out to catch the train.

Examples

  • He packed his clothes into a worn leather gripsack before leaving for the city.

  • She always traveled light, carrying only a single gripsack on her journeys.

  • He packed his gripsack for the weekend trip.

  • My gripsack is filled with clothes for the journey.

  • She packed her clothes in a small gripsack for the weekend trip.

  • The old gripsack was filled with souvenirs from his travels.

  • He struggled to carry his gripsack as he rushed to the train station.

Synonyms

grip
vsgripsack
  • Archaic
3 7.5

A small bag or suitcase for carrying clothes and small items

is the older term mainly used in the past

How Big

trunk
110 3.3
suitcase
356 1.0
gripsack
  • Archaic
9.9
pouch
72 2.1

Surface Forms

gripsack singular
gripsacks plural

Morphology

gripsack = grip + sack (transparent) = grip + sack

The compound is a straightforward combination of 'grip' + 'sack' meaning a small hand-carried bag; the sense is directly predictable from its parts, though the word is somewhat archaic.

Etymology

Gripsack comes from two plain English words: grip ('to hold') and sack ('bag'). So it means a small bag or travel case you can easily carry, which is why it refers to a small, portable suitcase.