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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

backpacker en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back Proto-Germanic *pakkô Proto-West Germanic *pakkō Old English *pæcca? ▲ Proto-West Germanic *pakkō Old Dutch *pakko Middle Dutch pakbor.? Middle English pak English pack English backpack Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English backpacker From backpack + -er.

Meanings

  1. A traveler whose luggage consists of a backpack; especially, such a traveler who uses hostels, public transport, and other inexpensive services.
    • Eight staff members of a backpacker hostel in Laos have been detained by local authorities as they investigate the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning, according to state-affiliated media in the Southeast Asian country. 2024 November 27, Jessie Yeung and Isaac Yee, “Laos detains foreign hostel staff over backpacker methanol poisonings as families and travelers demand answers”, in CNN, archived from the original on 19 Dec 2024:
    • A decade ago, I was a backpacker entirely reliant on the railways as a means to see Britain, and with castles as my destination. Via trains alone, I was able to tick off nearly all of the castles that my English Heritage annual pass afforded me. 2022 January 12, Dr. Joseph Brennan, “Castles: ruined and redeemed by rail”, in RAIL, number 948, page 53:
    • Lots of pockets help with a commute, a storm hood is great if you get caught in a storm on a hike, weight and packability are essential for backpackers and if you’re a climber or biker, you’ll want a helmet-compatible hood. 2025 January 3, Kai Burkhardt, “The best rain jackets of 2025, tried and tested”, in CNN, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2025:
    • Among the ah bengs and ah lians, the mats and the minahs, the young expats and the backpackers, he stood out like a dozen guys on a male-only dance floor singing Dancing Queen (I'll never forgive Blur for ruining my 21st birthday). 2012 April 15, Neil Humphreys, “From Cool Dude to Sad Old Man”, in The New Paper, page 34:
  2. A hostel offering accommodation for such people.
    • We hardly ever stayed in backpackers as it was approximately double the cost of pitching a tent in a caravan park or nature reserve. 2016, Craig J, Tame the Ego Before It Tames the Soul:
  3. (slang) A fan or performer of backpack rap.
    • To him the white backpackers are abject, 'safari wiggers' who threaten to undo all his careful work at 'passing' in this culture. With their earnestness and clumsy naiveté they betray the scandalous truth of his posturing. 2017, Patrick Turner, Hip Hop Versus Rap: The Politics of Droppin' Knowledge, page 129:
    • Blacks and Latinos were more likely to be gangsta rappers than backpackers. 2014, Geoff Harkness, Chicago Hustle and Flow: Gangs, Gangsta Rap, and Social Class:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
backpackers Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

bikepacker · begpacker

Translations (35)

ca motxiller (a traveler) · fr routard (a traveler) · da rygsækturist (a traveler) · ja バックパッカー (a traveler) · de Backpacker (a traveler) · et seljakotirändur (a traveler) · ru пе́ший тури́ст (a traveler) · sv backpacker (a traveler) · pl turysta z plecakiem (a traveler) · nl backpacker (a traveler) · ko 백패커 (a traveler) · et seljakotiturist (a traveler) · vi Tây ba lô (a traveler) · he תרמילאית (a traveler) · de Rucksackreisender (a traveler) · ru бэкпэ́кер (a traveler) · ca motxillera (a traveler) · it saccopelista (a traveler) · it escursionista (a traveler) · he תרמילאי (a traveler) · de Rucksacktourist (a traveler) · fi reppumatkaaja (a traveler) · es mochilera (a traveler) · mi wae tāpoi (a traveler) · es mochilero (a traveler) · ru пе́шая тури́стка (a traveler) · pt mochileiro (a traveler) · cs baťůžkář (a traveler) · nl rugzakreiziger (a traveler) · cmn 背包客 (a traveler) · sv ryggsäcksturist (a traveler) · da rygsækrejsende (a traveler) · ko 배낭여행객 (a traveler) · da backpacker (a traveler) · pl turystka z plecakiem (a traveler)