bargain

English

Etymology

From 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 *burgijaną (to borrow, lend), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (to protect, secure). Akin to Old High German boragēn, borgēn (to look after, care for) (German borgen), Old English borgian (to borrow, lend, pledge). More at borrow.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: bägən, IPA(key): /ˈbɑːɡən/, /-ɡɪn/
  • (General American) enPR: bärgən, IPA(key): /ˈbɑːɹɡən/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ɡən, -ɑː(ɹ)ɡɪn
  • Hyphenation: bar‧gain

Noun

bargain (plural bargains)

  1. 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.
    • 1883, J. J. S Wharton, Wharton's Law Lexicon:
      A contract is a bargain that is legally binding.
  2. An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.
    • c. 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III scene ii:
      [] And when your honors mean to solemnize / The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you, / Even at that time I may be married too.
  3. An item purchased for significantly less than the usual, or recommended, price
  4. A gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase.
    to buy a thing at a bargain
    At that price, it's not just a bargain, it's a steal.
    • 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter I, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, OCLC 7780546; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., 55 Fifth Avenue, [1933], OCLC 2666860, page 0016:
      Thus the red damask curtains which now shut out the fog-laden, drizzling atmosphere of the Marylebone Road, had cost a mere song, and yet they might have been warranted to last another thirty years. A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; [].
  5. The thing stipulated or purchased.
    • c. 1603, William Shakespeare, Othello, Act V scene ii:
      If he say so, may his pernicious soul Rot half a grain a day! He lies to th' heart. She was too fond of her most filthy bargain.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from bargain (noun)

Translations

Verb

bargain (third-person singular simple present bargains, present participle bargaining, simple past and past participle bargained)

  1. (intransitive) To make a bargain; to make a deal or contract for the exchange of property or services; to negotiate
  2. (transitive) To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade
    They had to bargain for a few minutes to get a decent price for the rug.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Anagrams


Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman bargaigne, from bargaigner.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /barˈɡɛi̯n(ə)/, /ˈbarɡən(ə)/

Noun

bargain (plural bargaines)

  1. A corporate agreement; a trade deal.
  2. A pact; a concord; an agreement with legal force.
  3. A project, venture or endeavour.
  4. (rare) A item or product; a commodity.
  5. (rare) A situation as an outcome of prior behaviour from others.
  6. (rare) A promise or commitment; an obligation due to prior agreement.
  7. (rare) An argument or dispute.

Descendants

References


Scottish Gaelic

Noun

bargain m

  1. genitive singular of bargan
  2. nominative plural of bargan
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