Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To trade goods or services without the exchange of money.
  • intransitive verb To trade (goods or services) without the exchange of money.
  • noun The act or practice of bartering.
  • noun Something bartered.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or being something based on bartering.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To traffic or trade by exchanging one commodity for another, in distinction from buying and selling for money.
  • To give (one thing or commodity) for another of equivalent or supposed equivalent value: with a person, for (formerly with) a thing: as, to barter one's jewels for bread.
  • To exchange, in general.
  • noun The act of exchanging; specifically, the act or practice of trafficking by exchange of commodities.
  • noun The thing given in exchange.
  • noun An arithmetical rule by which the values of different goods are ascertained and compared
  • noun Synonyms Dealing, trade, traffic, truck, interchange.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To trade or exchange in the way of barter; to exchange (frequently for an unworthy consideration); to traffic; to truck; -- sometimes followed by away.
  • intransitive verb To traffic or trade, by exchanging one commodity for another, in distinction from a sale and purchase, in which money is paid for the commodities transferred; to truck.
  • noun The act or practice of trafficking by exchange of commodities; an exchange of goods.
  • noun The thing given in exchange.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun an equal exchange
  • verb exchange goods or services without involving money

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an equal exchange
  • verb exchange goods without involving money

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English barteren, probably from Old French barater; see barrator.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French barater, of uncertain origin (maybe Celtic).

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