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aftermarket

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Etymology and origin of the English word aftermarket

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1800 Farmer's Magazine More words from the 18th century
Ultimate origin
Latin mercātus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English market
English aftermarket
From the same root
English marketable ← market
English marketplace ← market
English supermarket ← market

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈɑːftəˌmɑːkɪt/, /ˈaftəˌmɑːkɪt/[1]
  • US: /ˈæftərˌmɑrkət/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English after- + market.[1][2][3][4] The noun goes back through French to Latin mercātus (“trading, buying and selling; market”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A later or subsequent market: 1800, in the Farmer's Magazine; this sense is recorded until 1863 and is now obsolete.[1]

Semantic evolution

The modern senses began in American English.[1][3] In 1887 the word was used on the stock market for the trading in stocks and bonds after their first issue,[1] the year that Merriam-Webster Unabridged also gives.[2] From 1924, in the Hardware Dealers' Magazine, it named the market for replacement parts and accessories once a motor vehicle had been sold, later also for computer systems and other goods;[1] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate date this use, of car parts not made by the original manufacturer, to 1940,[3][5] and Dictionary.com to 1935–40.[4] Merriam-Webster also records a secondary market that opens once sales in the first market are over, such as a film's sales on video or a television series in syndication.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1800 – a later market (obsolete, last recorded 1863).[1]
  • 1887 – the market for stocks and bonds after their issue.[1][2]
  • 1924 – the market for replacement parts and accessories after the sale of a motor vehicle.[1] Etymonline dates this use to 1940.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The market for replacement parts, accessories and services for a product, especially a car, after it has been sold: They fitted aftermarket wheels to the van.[2][1][6]
  2. A secondary market that opens once sales in the original market are over, as for a film on video.[2][5]
  3. (stock exchange) The buying and selling of shares and bonds after their issue.[6][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Aftermarket.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/aftermarket. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·