bargain - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (2024)

1 English
- 1.1 Etymology
- 1.2 Pronunciation
- 1.3 Noun
  - 1.3.1 Derived terms
  - 1.3.2 Descendants
  - 1.3.3 Translations
- 1.4 Verb
  - 1.4.1 Derived terms
  - 1.4.2 Translations
  - 1.4.3 See also
- 1.5 Anagrams
2 Middle English
- 2.1 Noun
3 Scottish Gaelic
- 3.1 Noun

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English bargaynen (“to bargain, make a pledge for sale”), from Old French bargaigner (“to bargain”), 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.

Compare French barguigner and Portuguese barganhar.

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

bargain (plural bargains)

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.
  See Also
  The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) Stock Price, News, Quote & History - Yahoo Finance Careers - TJ Morris - Family Company & History Custom Concealment & Secret Storage Furniture | QLine Design The Home Depot Guaranteed Low Price
An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.
Synonyms: contract, engagement, stipulation
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [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.
An item purchased for significantly less than the usual, or recommended, price
Synonym: steal
Antonym: rip-off
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; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co.,[…], [1933], →OCLC, 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;[…].
The thing stipulated or purchased.
Synonym: purchase
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [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.

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from bargain (noun)

Descendants[edit]

Sranan Tongo: barki

Translations[edit]

agreement or contract concerning sale of property

Verb[edit]

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

(intransitive) To make a bargain; to make a deal or contract for the exchange of property or services; to negotiate
They had to bargain for a few minutes to get a decent price for the rug.
- 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
  So worthless peasants bargain for their wives.
  United we bargain, divided we beg
(transitive) To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade