Trade

Trade

Noun & Verb · /treɪd/ · the exchange of goods or services; a skilled occupation

Definition

Trade means the buying, selling, or exchange of goods and services. As a noun it refers to commerce — international trade, a trade deal, a trade deficit. It also means a skilled manual occupation — a plumber by trade, a trade apprenticeship. As a verb, to trade means to buy and sell: they trade in commodities, she traded her old phone for a newer model.

Origin

From Middle Low German trade, meaning a course or track — originally the path a person followed in their daily work. The word entered English in the fifteenth century. The root idea of a regular path or course evolved into the concept of regular commercial dealings. By the sixteenth century trade meant both the act of commerce and the skilled craft a person practised daily along their own professional path.