Definitions

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

  • noun An agreement between parties fixing obligations that each promises to carry out. synonym: agreement.
  • noun An agreement establishing the terms of a sale or exchange of goods or services.
  • noun Property acquired or services rendered as a result of such an agreement.
  • noun Something offered or acquired at a price advantageous to the buyer.
  • intransitive verb To negotiate the terms of an agreement, as to sell or exchange.
  • intransitive verb To engage in collective bargaining.
  • intransitive verb To arrive at an agreement.
  • intransitive verb To exchange; trade.
  • idiom (into/in) Over and above what is expected; in addition.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of discussing the terms of a proposed agreement; bargaining.
  • noun A contention or contest for the mastery or upper hand; a struggle.
  • noun A contract or an agreement between two or more parties; a compact settling that something shall be done; specifically, a contract by which one party binds himself to transfer the right to some property for a consideration, and the other party binds himself to receive the property and pay the consideration.
  • noun The outcome of an agreement as regards one of the parties; that which is acquired by bargaining; the thing purchased or stipulated for: as, look at my bargain; a bad bargain; “a losing bargain,”
  • noun Something bought or sold at a low price; an advantageous purchase.
  • To treat about a transaction; make terms.
  • To come to or make an agreement; stipulate; make or strike a bargain: with a person, for an object: as, he bargained with the producers, for a daily supply.
  • To arrange beforehand by negotiation and agreement.
  • To agree to buy or sell.

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

  • intransitive verb To make a bargain; to make a contract for the exchange of property or services; -- followed by with and for.
  • noun An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds himself to transfer the right to some property for a consideration, and the other party binds himself to receive the property and pay the consideration.
  • noun An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.
  • noun A purchase; also ( when not qualified), a gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase.
  • noun The thing stipulated or purchased; also, anything bought cheap.
  • noun (Law) a species of conveyance, by which the bargainor contracts to convey the lands to the bargainee, and becomes by such contract a trustee for and seized to the use of the bargainee. The statute then completes the purchase; i. e., the bargain vests the use, and the statute vests the possession.
  • noun over and above what is stipulated; besides.
  • noun [Obs.] to make saucy (usually indelicate) repartees.
  • noun to reach or ratify an agreement.
  • transitive verb To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade.
  • transitive verb to dispose of in a bargain; -- usually with a sense of loss or disadvantage; as, to bargain away one's birthright.

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

  • noun An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds himself to transfer the right to some property for a consideration, and the other party binds himself to receive the property and pay the consideration.
  • noun An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.
  • noun A purchase; also (when not qualified), a gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase; as, to buy a thing at a bargain.
  • noun The thing stipulated or purchased; also, anything bought cheap.
  • verb intransitive To make a bargain; to make a contract for the exchange of property or services; to negotiate; -- followed by with and for; as, to bargain with a farmer for a cow.
  • verb transitive To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade; as, to bargain one horse for another.

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

  • verb come to terms; arrive at an agreement
  • verb negotiate the terms of an exchange
  • noun an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
  • noun an advantageous purchase

Etymologies

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

[Middle English, from Old French bargaigne, haggling, from bargaignier, to haggle, of Germanic origin; see bhergh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English bargaynen ("to bargain, make a pledge for sale"), from Anglo-Norman bargai(g)ner ("to bargain"), from Old French bargai(g)ner ("to bargain, haggle"), from Frankish *borganjan ("to borrow, lend"), from Proto-Germanic *burganan (“to borrow, lend”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhergh- (“to protect, secure”). Akin to Old High German bor(a)gēn ("to look after, care for") (German borgen), Old English borgian ("to borrow, lend, pledge"). More at borrow.

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  • Pronunciation experiment with goat.

    January 10, 2010

  • heh!

    January 11, 2010