trader English · revision 39783

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1566}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /ˈtɹeɪdə(ɹ)/^(Wiktionary)

+ * US: /ˈtɹeɪdɚ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was formed [[af|en|trade|-er]] in English, from the verb ''trade''.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A person who buys and sells goods, a dealer or merchant: 1566, in a translation of Pliny.^(OED 2026) Etymonline dates it to the 1580s, Merriam-Webster to 1585,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) and Dictionary.com to 1575–85.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From 1613 the word was extended to someone dealing in something abstract or immaterial.^(OED 2026) A ''trader'' was also a ship engaged in trade, from 1616;^(OED 2026) Etymonline dates this sense to 1712.^(Etymonline) In the 17th century ''trader'' was slang for a prostitute,^(OED 2026)^(GDoS) a use found in Shakespeare's ''Troilus and Cressida'' ("O traders and bawds") and in the compound ''night-trader''.^(GDoS) Johnson (1755) defined it as one engaged in merchandise or commerce, quoting ''Henry IV''.^(Johnson 1755) The financial sense, a person or firm that buys and sells shares or currency, dates from 1820,^(OED 2026) and today it usually means someone who speculates on short-term movements, as opposed to an [[investor]].^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1566 – a dealer, merchant.^(OED 2026)

+ * c. 1602 – (slang) a prostitute, in Shakespeare.^(GDoS)

+ * 1613 – one who deals in something immaterial.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1616 – a merchant ship;^(OED 2026) 1712 in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1776 – a tradesman's token coin (rare, obsolete).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1820 – a dealer in shares or currency.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person who buys and sells goods; a [[merchant]] or [[dealer]]: ''Fur traders travelled far up the river.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # (finance) A person who buys and sells [[security|alt=securities]], currencies or commodities, usually for short-term gain rather than as an [[investor]].^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+ # A ship used in trade; a merchant vessel.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tradership]]

+ * [[nontrader]]

+ * [[day trader]]

+ * [[floor trader]]

+ * [[free trader]]

+ * [[horse trader]]

+ * [[sole trader]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[trade]]

+ * [[tradesman]]

+ * [[merchant]]

+ * [[dealer]]

+ * [[tread]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}