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article of commerce

article of commerce

4.2
An item offered for sale or trade in business
  • noun
  • /ˈɑrtɪkəl əv ˈkɒmɜrs/
translation icon : artículo comercial
  • In today's economy, an article of commerce can range from fresh produce to online subscriptions.

Examples

  • It is well settled that the disposal of solid waste is an article of commerce; the article of commerce is not the solid waste itself, but rather the processing and disposing of it.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Consistent with the overall substantial effect analysis, courts would not consider the attributes of articles of commerce (n175) but rather the attributes of activities.

    Academic text (2004)
  • It is well settled that the disposal of solid waste is an article of commerce; the article of commerce is not the solid waste itself, but rather the processing and disposing of it.

    Academic text (1999)
  • As Hamilton had recognized, the kinds of taxes freely permitted in the original Constitution—duties and excises on articles of commerce—had "prescribed their own limit."

    Academic text (1997)
  • The store has a wide range of articles of commerce, including electronics, clothing, and furniture.

  • Many businesses rely on the sale of articles of commerce to sustain their operations and meet customer demands.

Synonyms

article
vsarticle of commerce
122 1.0

A single thing, often something made to sell

emphasizes being offered for commercial sale or trade rather than general existence

How Valuable

treasure
676 1.1
luxury
322 4.2
collectible
22 4.1
article of commerce
4.2
product
1.0
bargain
170 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

article + of + commerce

The noun phrase 'article of commerce' is transparently built from 'article' (a tangible object) + 'of' (associative/genitive link) + 'commerce' (buying and selling), so its meaning 'an item used/offered in commerce' follows directly from the constituents. This standard compositional noun + of + domain pattern is common across languages and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the component words.

Etymology

The phrase article of commerce shows a simple image: an article, meaning a single thing, made for commerce, meaning buying and selling. So it is used today to mean 'an item offered for sale or trade'.