bargain
pronunciation
How to pronounce bargain in British English:
UK [ˈbɑːɡən]
How to pronounce bargain in American English:
US [ˈbɑːrɡən]
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- Noun:
- an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
- an advantageous purchase
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- Verb:
- negotiate the terms of an exchange
- come to terms; arrive at an agreement
Word Origin
- bargain
- bargain: [14] Bargain appears to be distantly related to borrow. Its immediate source was Old French bargaignier ‘haggle’, but this was probably borrowed from Germanic *borganjan, a derivative of *borgun (from which ultimately we get borrow). The sense development may have been as follows: originally ‘look after, protect’ (the related Germanic *burg- produced English borough, which to begin with meant ‘fortress’, and bury); then ‘take on loan, borrow’; then ‘take or give’; and hence ‘trade, haggle, bargain’.=> belfrey, borough, borrow, bury
- bargain (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French bargaignier (12c., Modern French barguigner) "to haggle over the price," perhaps from Frankish *borganjan "to lend" or some other Germanic source, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *borgan (cognates: Old High German borgen; Old English borgian, source of borrow). Another suggestion is that the French word comes from Late Latin barca "a barge," because it "carries goods to and fro." There are difficulties with both suggestions. Related: Bargained; bargaining.
- bargain (n.)
- mid-14c., "business transaction or agreement," also "that which is acquired by bargaining," from Old French bargaine, from bargaignier (see bargain (v.)). Meaning "article priced for special sale" is from 1899. A bargain basement (1899) originally was a basement floor in a store where bargains were displayed.
Example
- 1. Populism only makes a grand bargain more elusive .
- 2. There is a basic bargain to be had .
- 3. Is she a bawd that she should bargain ?
- 4. Needless to say , bargain hunters need not apply .
- 5. Periodic crackdowns on back-alley or bargain surgeries attempt to keep the emerging industry in check .