Trading
nounThe activity of buying and selling goods, services, or financial instruments.
How to spell trading
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce trading
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does trading mean?
- nounThe activity of buying and selling goods, services, or financial instruments.
- verbEngaging in the buying and selling of goods or assets.
Trading in a sentence
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noun
The company reported strong trading figures for the quarter.
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verb
She has been trading in vintage furniture for years.
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noun
Online trading in shares has grown sharply among ordinary investors.
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verb
The brothers were trading as a partnership before they incorporated.
Where does trading come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
The base word 'trade' arrived in late Middle English from Middle Low German 'trade', meaning a 'track' or 'course', and it is closely related to the word 'tread', the path you walk along. At first 'trade' described a course or way of life, then the regular path a merchant followed, before settling into its modern meaning of buying and selling goods. By adding the suffix '-ing', English forms the present participle and verbal noun 'trading', the act of carrying on commerce. The link to a literal worn track is a useful memory aid: 'trade' keeps a single 'd', and 'trading' simply drops the silent final 'e' before adding '-ing', so it is never spelled with a doubled consonant.
How the word is built
- trade (from Middle Low German trade: track, course)
- -ing (verbal noun/participle suffix)
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