traffic
pronunciation
How to pronounce traffic in British English:
UK [ˈtræfɪk]
How to pronounce traffic in American English:
US [ˈtræfɪk]
-
- Noun:
- the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
- buying and selling; especially illicit trade
- the amount of activity over a communication system during a given period of time
- social or verbal interchange (usually followed by `with')
-
- Verb:
- deal illegally
- trade or deal a commodity
Word Origin
- traffic
- traffic: [16] The ultimate origins of traffic are not known. It was acquired from French traffique, which in turn was borrowed from Old Italian traffico, a derivative of the verb trafficare ‘trade’, but there the trail goes cold. It is generally assumed that the word’s first element goes back to the Latin prefix trāns- ‘across’.
- traffic (n.)
- c. 1500, "trade, commerce," from Middle French trafique (15c.), from Italian traffico (14c.), from trafficare "carry on trade," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a Vulgar Latin *transfricare "to rub across," from Latin trans- "across" (see trans-) + fricare "to rub" (see friction), with the original sense of the Italian verb being "touch repeatedly, handle." Or the second element may be an unexplained alteration of Latin facere "to make, do." Klein suggests ultimate derivation of the Italian word from Arabic tafriq "distribution." Meaning "people and vehicles coming and going" first recorded 1825. Traffic jam is 1917, ousting earlier traffic block (1895). Traffic circle is from 1938.
- traffic (v.)
- 1540s, "to buy and sell," from traffic (n.) and preserving the original commercial sense. Related: Trafficked; trafficking; trafficker. The -k- is inserted to preserve the "k" sound of -c- before a suffix beginning in -i-, -y-, or -e- (compare picnic/picnicking, panic/panicky, shellacshellacked).
Example
- 1. Calmer traffic is just the beginning .
- 2. Traffic lights are crucial tools for regulating traffic flow .
- 3. Many residents in beijing are likely to welcome efforts to improve traffic .
- 4. Container traffic at long beach has more than doubled since 1995 .
- 5. The sharpest drop seems to be in truck traffic , analysts say .