Traffic

Traffic , intransitive verb

[French trafiquer; compare Italian trafficare, Sp. traficar, trafagar, Portuguese traficar, trafegar, trafeguear, Late Latin traficare; of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin trans across, over + -ficare to make (see -fy, and compare German ubermachen to transmit, send over, for example, money, wares); or compare Portuguese trasfegar to pour out from one vessel into another, OPg. also, to traffic, perhaps from (assumed) Late Latin vicare to exchange, from Latin vicis change (compare Vicar).]

To pass goods and commodities from one person to another for an equivalent in goods or money; to buy or sell goods; to barter; to trade.

To trade meanly or mercenarily; to bargain.

Traffic , transitive verb

To exchange in traffic; to effect by a bargain or for a consideration.

Traffic , noun

[Compare French trafic, Italian traffico, Sp. tráfico, tráfago, Portuguese tráfego, Late Latin traficum, trafica. See Traffic, v.]

Commerce, either by barter or by buying and selling; interchange of goods and commodities; trade.

A merchant of great traffic through the world. — Shakespeare

The traffic in honors, places, and pardons. — Macaulay

This word, like trade, comprehends every species of dealing in the exchange or passing of goods or merchandise from hand to hand for an equivalent, unless the business of relating may be excepted. It signifies appropriately foreign trade, but is not limited to that.

Commodities of the market. [Rare]

You 'll see a draggled damsel From Billingsgate her fishy traffic bear. — Gay

The business done upon a railway, steamboat line, etc., with reference to the number of passengers or the amount of freight carried.

Collocations (2)

Traffic return , a periodical statement of the receipts for goods and passengers, as on a railway line.

Traffic taker , a computer of the returns of traffic on a railway, steamboat line, etc.