bargain

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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”), of Germanic origin, 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.

Pronunciation

• audio (US)

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• enPR: bä(r)gən, IPA: /ˈbɑː(r)ɡən/, SAMPA: /"ba:(r)g@n/

  Rhymes: -ɑː(r)ɡən

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.

   A contract is a bargain that is legally binding. --w:Wharton.

2. An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.
   • And whon your honors mean to solemnize The bargain of your faith. --w:Shak.
3. A purchase; also (when not qualified), a gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase; as, to buy a thing at a bargain.
4. The thing stipulated or purchased; also, anything bought cheap.
   • She was too fond of her most filthy bargain. --w:Shak.

{Bargain and sale} (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. --w:Blackstone.

{Into the bargain}, over and above what is stipulated;besides.

(obsolete){To sell bargains}, to make saucy (usually indelicate) repartees. --Jonathan Swift.

{To strike a bargain}, to reach or ratify an agreement. ``A bargain was struck. -- Thomas Babington Macaulay.

Derived terms

• prebargaining

Synonyms

• contract
• stipulation
• purchase
• engagement

Antonyms

• rip-off (3,4)

Translations

purchase, transaction

Bulgarian: сделка (bg), пазарлък (bg) French: accord (fr) m. Hungarian: vétel (hu) Russian: сделка (ru)

Scottish Gaelic: bargan (gd) m. Spanish: trato m., ganga f., bicoca f. Telugu: బేరం (te) (bEram)

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 contract for the exchange of property or services; to negotiate; -- followed by with and for; as, to bargain with a farmer for a cow.

   So worthless peasants bargain for their wives. -- Shakespeare.

   united we bargain, divided we beg

2. (transitive) To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade; as, to bargain one horse for another.

Derived terms

• bargain agent
• bargain away
• bargain date

Translations

to make a bargain

Bulgarian: спазарявам се (bg) Hungarian: alkuszik (hu), alkudozik (hu) Russian: заключать сделку (ru) Serbian: cenkati

Slovene: barantati (sl) Spanish: regatear (es) Swedish: förhandla (sv), köpslå (sv) Telugu: బేరం చేయు (te) (bEram chEyu)

Anagrams

• braaing

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Scottish Gaelic

Noun

barganan

1. genitive singular form of bargan
2. Plural form of bargan.