Briefcase

Briefcase

A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name. [http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Teasers/Teasers/BriefcasesHistoryOf.htm Briefcases – History and Types of ] ] Businesspeople and other professionals also use briefcases to carry important papers and, today, laptop computers.

Briefcases are descendants of the limp satchel used in the fourteenth century for carrying money and valuables. It was called a "budget", derived from the Latin word "bulga" or Irish word "bolg", both meaning leather bag, and also the source of the financial term "budget".

Godillot of Paris was the first to use a hinged iron frame on a carpetbag, in 1826. There then followed the Gladstone bag and the Rosebery, an oval-top bag. Eventually these became the modern metal-framed briefcase.

Types of briefcases

*A portfolio is a handleless case for carrying in the hand or under the arm. The name is an anglicization of the Italian "portafoglio", derived from "portare" (to carry) and "foglio" (a sheet of paper).
*A folio case is a portfolio with a retractable handle.
*An attaché case is a box-style case made of leather (occasionally aluminium), stretched over a hinged frame that opens into two compartments. It was traditionally carried by an attaché, a diplomatic officer attached to an embassy or consulate officially assigned to serve in a particular capacity (e.g., cultural attaché; military attaché).

See also

*Suitcase


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • briefcase — brief‧case [ˈbriːfkeɪs] noun [countable] OFFICE a case used for carrying papers or documents * * * briefcase UK US /ˈbriːfkeɪs/ noun [C] ► WORKPLACE a rectangular case, used especially for carrying business documents …   Financial and business terms

  • briefcase — rief case n. a small suitcase with a handle; it is used for carrying papers or files or books. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Briefcase —   [engl.], Aktenkoffer …   Universal-Lexikon

  • briefcase — (n.) portable folding case for holding papers, 1926, from BRIEF (Cf. brief) (n.) in the paper sense + CASE (Cf. case) (n.2) …   Etymology dictionary

  • briefcase — [n] carrier for work papers attaché, bag, baggage, case, dispatch, folder, portfolio, valise; concepts 446,494 …   New thesaurus

  • briefcase — ► NOUN ▪ a flat rectangular case for carrying books and documents …   English terms dictionary

  • briefcase — [brēf′kās΄] n. a flat, flexible case, usually of leather, for carrying papers, books, etc …   English World dictionary

  • briefcase — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ battered (esp. BrE) ▪ He wore a torn suit and carried a battered briefcase. ▪ bulging ▪ leather, metal, plastic …   Collocations dictionary

  • briefcase */ — UK [ˈbriːfˌkeɪs] / US [ˈbrɪfˌkeɪs] noun [countable] Word forms briefcase : singular briefcase plural briefcases a case for carrying documents and other things to work …   English dictionary

  • briefcase — [[t]bri͟ːfkeɪs[/t]] briefcases N COUNT A briefcase is a case used for carrying documents in …   English dictionary

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