Etymologically
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broker

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbɹəʊkə/ (UK); /ˈbɹoʊkɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English brokour, borrowed from Anglo-Norman brocour (“small trader”), beside abrokur (“retailer of wine, tapster”),[2][3][4] probably from Old French brocheor (brokeor in Old North French), from brochier (“to broach, tap a keg”), from broche (“pointed tool”) (see broach),[2][3] the original sense being a wine dealer.[2] A source in Portuguese alborcar (“to barter”) has also been suggested,[2] and the AHD connects it with Spanish alboroque (“ceremonial gift after a deal”).[5] Hoad and the New Oxford call it of unknown origin.[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A commercial agent or middleman: about 1378 in Barnhart (brokour), the mid-14th century in Etymonline, 1377 in the OED; as a surname from 1260.[3][2][8]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English it was used contemptuously of pedlars and pimps,[2] of a second-hand dealer or pawnbroker,[8] of someone who bought and sold public office,[2] and of a go-between in love or marriage.[2][8] A middleman or agent in general is from 1530.[8] The verb, to act as a broker, is from the 1630s,[2] and today it is used especially of arranging a deal, as in brokering a ceasefire.[5]

Timeline

  • 1260 – Brokur, as a surname.[3]
  • 1377 – a middleman; a go-between in love.[8]
  • 1393 – a pedlar.[8]
  • 1630s – to broker (verb).[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An agent who negotiates contracts, purchases or sales for others in return for a fee or commission.
  2. A stockbroker.
  3. A dealer in second-hand goods.

Verb

  1. To arrange or negotiate as a broker: broker a deal.

Word family

  • brokership
  • subbroker
  • brokage
  • brokerage
  • marriage broker
  • broach
  • pawnbroker
  • stockbroker
  • brooch

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press