▪ I. commerce, n.
(ˈkɒmɜːs)
Also 7 comerce, commerse.
[a. F. commerce, ad. L. commercium trade, trafficking, f. com- together, with, + merx, merci- merchandise, ware. Used only since the 16th c.; the earlier term was merchandise. The stress was orig. on second syllable, as in Watts 1706 (sense 2 c); Gay 1720 (sense 1) shows the present usage.]
1. a. Exchange between men of the products of nature or art; buying and selling together; trading; exchange of merchandise, esp. as conducted on a large scale between different countries or districts; including the whole of the transactions, arrangements, etc., therein involved. chamber of commerce: see chamber n. 4 c.
| 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 415/1 So hath the same mutuall and naturall concourse and commerce beene without interruption..to the singular great benefit and inriching of their people. 1598 Florio, Comercio, trafficke, intercourse, commerce. 1650 Howell Lett. II. To Rdr. 2 They are the soul of trade; they make commerce Expand it self throughout the univers. 1720 Gay Poems (1745) II. 31 There commerce plenty brings from foreign coasts. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl., Chambers of Commerce, are assemblies of merchants and dealers, where they treat of matters relating to commerce. 1784 T. Gordon (title), Carriages, for the purposes of inland commerce, agriculture, etc. 1875 Jevons Money (1878) 83 All commerce consists in the exchange of commodities of equal value. 1884 Pall Mall G. 26 Feb. 12/1 The war of commerce which, under the name of ‘competition’, goes on unceasingly. |
† b. pl. Mercantile dealings. Obs.
| 1593 R. Harvey Philad. 3 Hee will be aboue your commercies, and throw you into the marshes. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 18 What are the commerces of men, but courteous cousenages? 1677 Gale Crt. Gentiles II. iv. 185 Moderation in commerces. |
† c. The company of merchants, the commercial body (of a place). [ad. Sp. comercio.] Obs.
| 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. x. 239 The commerce at Manila are provided with three or four stout ships, that, in case of any accident, the trade may not be suspended. Ibid. iii. viii. 376 The Commerce and the Governor disagreed. |
d. († ) Trade, business (obs.); a business. rare.
| 1758 Binnell Descr. Thames 256 Fisheries denote the Commerce of Fish, more especially the Catching them for Sale. 1873 Browning Red Cotton Night-Cap Country Wks. 1889 XII. 107 Disposure of the commerce—that took time, And would not suffer by a week's delay. |
2. a. Intercourse in the affairs of life; dealings.
| 1537 Cdl. Pole Let. in Strype Eccl. Mem. I. App. lxxxiv. 219 To have me in his hand he would be content..to disturb al commerce between..man and man. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iv. 191 He is now in some commerce with my Ladie. 1736 Bolingbroke Patriot. (1749) 218 The free and easy commerce of social life. 1760 R. James Canine Madness 13 Domestic animals which have the greatest Commerce with mankind. 1794 Paley Evid. ii. iv. 114 In our Lord's commerce with his disciples. 1858 Hogg Life Shelley II. 329 He sought literary and scientific conversation, and the commerce of wits. |
† b. (with a and pl.)
| a 1641 Suckling Lett. 67 Makes me think writing a dull commerce. 1656 tr. White's Peripat. Instit. 428 In all the Peregrinations of the Patriarchs, or even the commerces of the Kings with ægypt. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 76 ¶1 A Man who is..not engaged in Commerces of any Consideration, is but an ill Judge of the secret Motions of the Heart of Man. |
c. Intercourse or converse with God, with spirits, passions, thoughts, etc.
| 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xvii. (T.), Places of publick resort being thus provided, our repair thither is especially for..commerce to be had between God and us. 1638 Wilkins New World vi. (1707) 45 Souls, that..have freed themselves from any Commerce with the Body. 1706 Watts Horæ Lyr. i. Love on a Cross, I hold no more commerce with Hell. 1796 Burney Metastasio III. 39 Worthy of a man in commerce with the Muses. 1805 Wordsw. Prelude xiv. (1850) 354 We sank Each into commerce with his private thoughts. 1835 I. Taylor Spir. Despot. iii. 85 To hold any commerce with great and sublime principles. |
† d. of good (etc.) commerce: agreeable (etc.) in intercourse, ‘pleasant to meet’. Obs.
| 1791 F. Burney Diary (1876) III. 371 The Bishop..is otherwise intelligent and of good commerce. |
3. Intercourse of the sexes; esp. in a bad sense.
| 1624 Heywood Gunaik. iv. 181 With all these noble matrons he is said to have commerse. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 266 ¶1 The unlawful Commerce of the Sexes. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones Wks. 1775 III. 40 Sophia's virtue..made his commerce with lady Bellaston appear still more odious. 1798 Malthus Popul. (1806) II. iii. ii. 104. 1859 Tennyson Merlin & V. 769 What say ye to Sir Lancelot?.. That commerce with the Queen..is it..whisper'd in the corner? |
† 4. Interchange (esp. of letters, ideas, etc.). Obs.
| 1608–11 Bp. Hall Medit. (1851) 138 Here is a true natural commerce of senses..the lame man lends his eyes to the blind; the blind man lends his legs to the lame. 1690 Bp. Ashe Let. in Academy 25 Mar. (1882) 212, I have setled a Comerce of Letters with a Celebrated Russian Bishop. 1692 Bentley Boyle Lect. ix. 309 A reciprocal commerce of Action and Passion. 1741 Middleton Cicero (1742) III. ix. 55 A constant commerce of Letters between him and Brutus. |
† 5. Communication, means of free intercourse.
| 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 95 This Caspian Sea..has no commerce or entercourse with any Sea. 1665–6 Phil. Trans. I. 115 A Communication, by a Subterraneous Channell with another Whirl-pool..by which Commerce the waters..are conveyed through the said underground Channel to the other Gulf. 1675 Ibid. X. 469 Taking out the stopple again I opened its commerce with the outward air. 1757 A. Cooper Distiller i. ii. (1760) 16 Free from the too rude Commerce of the external Air. |
6. Cards. a. A game in which exchange or barter is the chief feature. Also attrib.
| 1732 Mrs. Delany Autobiog. & Corr. (1861) I. 346, I played two pools at commerce. 1776 Mrs. Harris in Priv. Lett. 1st. Lord Malmesbury I. 341 The ton here is the game of ‘Commerce’ which the fine people play immoderately high. 1779 The Sylph I. 238 My former winnings are in the sweepstake-pool at the commerce-table. 1780 F. Burney Diary (1854) I. 270 Whist players in one, and a commerce party in the others. 1818 Blackw. Mag. III. 532 Playing at Commerce, that most dull round game. 1870 Athenæum 4 June 734 Then, in 1776, the game of ‘Commerce’, which children play now for amusement, was ‘all the rage’. |
† b. game of commerce: see quot., and cf. Fr. jeux de commerce in Littré; also commercial a. 6.
| 1748 Chesterfield Lett. II. 145 A few pistoles at games of mere commerce, and other incidental calls of good company. |
7. Comb., as commerce-crushing adj. commerce-destroyer, a fast cruiser designed to destroy the merchant vessels of an enemy; so commerce-destroying; similarly commerce-raider, commerce-raiding.
| c 1819 Bentham Wks. II. 383 The continent-blockading and commerce-crushing decrees proclaimed by Buonaparte. 1886 Harper's Mag. June 20/1 She could also be of service as a commerce destroyer. 1890 Mahan Influence Sea Power 31 That form of warfare which has lately received the name of commerce-destroying. 1892 Daily News 28 July 6/7 The New United States Commerce Destroyer. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 23 May 6/3 Arming several more of their steamers as auxiliary cruisers and commerce destroyers. 1906 Cornford Defenceless Isl. 71 A commerce-raiding squadron. Ibid. 82 The Sumter had been gaily commerce-destroying for more than four months. 1927 Observer 29 May 20/4 The commerce-raider's career. |
▪ II. commerce, v.
(kəˈmɜːs)
Also 7 commerse.
[f. prec. n., or f. F. commercer, in same sense, (f. the n.); cf. also L. commerciāri to trade, and med.L. commercāre.]
† 1. intr. To carry on trade; to trade, traffic.
| 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1415/1 That the..subiects of either side..should safelie, freelie and securelie commerce togither. 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. v. Notes 83 Which with his shipping once should seeme to haue commerst. 1660 R. Coke Power & Subj. 49 And men did in those dayes commerce and exchange one with another. |
2. To have intercourse or converse, hold communication, associate with. arch.
| 1596 Spenser State Irel. Pref. 3 Those of English bloud were forbidden to marry and commerce with them. 1632 Milton Penseroso 39 With..looks commercing with the skies, Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes. 1636 Heywood Love's Mistr. i. Wks. 1874 V. 104 Ile shew thee..What kind of people I commerst withall In my transhape. 1756 T. Amory Buncle (1770) I. 44 Abraham and his sons conversed and commerced with the nations. 1842 Tennyson Walking to Mail, Commercing with himself, He lost the sense that handles daily life. 1887 Lowell Democr. 70 To commerce with fresh forms of nature and new varieties of man. |
† 3. To communicate physically.
| a 1639 Chapman & Shirley Chabot iii. ii, The way..by which these spirits should commerce, by vapours ascending from the stomach to the head. 1680 Morden Geog. Rect. (1685) 326 The Convenience of four Seas..by which it Commerces with the principal Regions of the World. |
† 4. trans. To traffic or deal in. Obs. rare.
| 1624 Heywood Captives i. i. in Bullen O. Pl. IV, Where lust and all uncleanes are commerst As freely as comodityes are vended. |
Hence coˈmmercing vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1610 Rowlands Martin Mark-all 6 By dayly commercing and discoursing. 1632 Lithgow Trav. vi. 264 Sixe Germanes, foure French-men, and nine Commercing Franks. 1808 J. Barlow Columb. iv. 90 Commercing squadrons o'er the billows bound. 1839 Carlyle Chartism (1840) 87. |