Also 7 comerce, commerse. [a. F. commerce, ad. L. commercium trade, trafficking, f. com- together, with, + merx, merci- merchandise, ware. Used only since the 16th c.; the earlier term was merchandise. The stress was orig. on second syllable, as in Watts, 1706 (sense 2 c); Gay, 1720 (sense 1) shows the present usage.]
1. Exchange between men of the products of nature or art; buying and selling together; trading; exchange of merchandise, esp. as conducted on a large scale between different countries or districts, including the whole of the transactions, arrangements, etc., therein involved. Chamber of Commerce: see CHAMBER sb. 4 c.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 415/1. So hath the same mutuall and naturall concourse and commerce beene without interruption … to the singular great benefit and inriching of their people.
1598. Florio, Comercio, trafficke, intercourse, commerce.
1650. Howell, Lett., II. To Rdr. 2. They are the soul of trade; they make commerce Expand it self throughout the univers.
1720. Gay, Poems (1745), II. 31. There commerce plenty brings from foreign coasts.
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl., Chambers of Commerce, are assemblies of merchants and dealers, where they treat of matters relating to commerce.
1784. T. Gordon (title), Carriages, for the purposes of inland commerce, agriculture, etc.
1875. Jevons, Money (1878), 83. All commerce consists in the exchange of commodities of equal value.
1884. Pall Mall G., 26 Feb., 12/1. The war of commerce which, under the name of ‘competition,’ goes on unceasingly.
† b. pl. Mercantile dealings. Obs.
1593. R. Harvey, Philad., 3. Hee will be aboue your commercies, and throw you into the marshes.
1654. R. Whitlock, Ζωοτομια, 18. What are the commerces of men, but courteous cousenages?
1677. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, II. IV. 185. Moderation in commerces.
† c. The company of merchants, the commercial body (of a place). [ad. Sp. comercio.] Obs.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. x. 239. The commerce at Manila are provided with three or four stout ships, that, in case of any accident, the trade may not be suspended. Ibid., III. viii. 376. The Commerce and the Governor disagreed.
d. (†) Trade, business (obs.); a business. rare.
1758. Binnell, Descr. Thames, 256. Fisheries denote the Commerce of Fish, more especially the Catching them for Sale.
1873. Browning, Red Cott. Nt.-Cap, Wks. 1889, XII. 107. Disposure of the commerce—that took time, And would not suffer by a week’s delay.
2. Intercourse in the affairs of life; dealings.
1537. Cdl. Pole, Lett., in Strype, Eccl. Mem., I. App. lxxxiv. 219. To have me in his hand he would be content … to disturb al commerce between … man and man.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., III. iv. 191. He is now in some commerce with my Ladie.
1736. Bolingbroke, Patriot. (1749), 218. The free and easy commerce of social life.
1760. R. James, Canine Madness, 13. Domestic animals which have the greatest Commerce with mankind.
1794. Paley, Evid., II. iv. 114. In our Lord’s commerce with his disciples.
1858. Hogg, Life Shelley, II. 329. He sought literary and scientific conversation, and the commerce of wits.
† b. (with a and plural.)
a. 1641. Suckling, Lett., 67. Makes me think writing a dull commerce.
1656. trans. White’s Peripat. Instit., 428. In all the Peregrinations of the Patriarchs, or even the commerces of the Kings with Ægypt.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 76, ¶ 1. A Man who is … not engaged in Commerces of any Consideration, is but an ill Judge of the secret Motions of the Heart.
c. Intercourse or converse with God, with spirits, passions, thoughts, etc.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. xvii. (T.). Places of publick resort being thus provided, our repair thither is especially for … commerce to be had between God and us.
1638. Wilkins, New World, vi. (1707), 45. Souls, that … have freed themselves from any Commerce with the Body.
1706. Watts, Horæ Lyr., I. Love on a Cross. I hold no more commerce with Hell.
1796. Burney, Metastasio, III. 39. Worthy of a man in commerce with the Muses.
1805. Wordsw., Prelude, XIV. (1850), 354. We sank Each into commerce with his private thoughts.
1835. I. Taylor, Spir. Despot., iii. 85. To hold any commerce with great and sublime principles.
† d. Of good (etc.) commerce: agreeable (etc.) in intercourse, ‘pleasant to meet.’ Obs.
1791. Miss Burney, Diary (1876), III. 371. The Bishop … is otherwise intelligent and of good commerce.
3. Intercourse of the sexes; esp. in a bad sense.
1624. Heywood, Gunaik., IV. 181. With all these noble matrons he is said to have commerse.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 266, ¶ 1. The unlawful Commerce of the Sexes.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, Wks. 1775, III. 40. Sophia’s virtue … made his commerce with lady Bellaston appear still more odious.
1798. Malthus, Popul. (1806), II. III. ii. 104. Let us suppose the commerce of the sexes established upon principles of the most perfect freedom. Mr. Godwin does not think himself that this freedom would lead to a promiscuous intercourse; and in this I perfectly agree with him.
1859. Tennyson, Merlin & Vivien, 769. What say ye to Sir Lancelot?… That commerce with the Queen … is it … whisper’d in the corner?
† 4. Interchange (esp. of letters, ideas, etc.), Obs.
1608–11. Bp. Hall, Medit. (1851), 138. Here is a true natural commerce of senses … the lame man lends his eyes to the blind; the blind man lends his legs to the lame.
1690. Bp. Ashe, Lett., in Academy, 25 March (1882), 212. I have setled a Comerce of Letters with a Celebrated Russian Bishop.
1692. Bentley, Boyle Lect., ix. 309. A reciprocal commerce of Action and Passion.
1741. Middleton, Cicero (1742), III. IX. 55. A constant commerce of Letters between him and Brutus.
† 5. Communication, means of free intercourse.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 95. This Caspian Sea … has no commerce or entercourse with any Sea.
1665–6. Phil. Trans., I. 115. A Communication, by a Subterraneous Channell with another Whirl-pool … by which Commerce the waters … are conveyed through the said underground Channel to the other Gulf. Ibid. (1675), X. 469. Taking out the stopple again I opened its commerce with the outward air.
1757. A. Cooper, Distiller, I. ii. (1760), 16. Free from the too rude Commerce of the external Air.
6. Cards. A game in which exchange or barter is the chief feature. Also attrib.
1732. Mrs. Delany, Autobiog. & Corr. (1861), I. 346. I played two pools at commerce.
1776. Mrs. Harris, in Priv. Lett. 1st. Lord Malmesbury, I. 341. The ton here is the game of ‘Commerce’ which the fine people play immoderately high.
1779. The Sylph, I. 238. My former winnings are in the sweepstake-pool at the commerce-table.
1780. Miss Burney, Diary (1854), I. 270. Whist players in one, and a commerce party in the others.
1818. Blackw. Mag., III. 532. Playing at Commerce, that most dull round game.
1870. Athenæum, 4 June, 734. Then, in 1776, the game of ‘Commerce,’ which children play now for amusement, was ‘all the rage.’
† b. Game of commerce: see quot., and cf. Fr. jeux de commerce in Littré; also COMMERCIAL a. 6.
1748. Chesterf., Lett., II. 145. A few pistoles at games of mere commerce, and other incidental calls of good company.
7. Comb., as commerce-crushing adj.
c. 1819. Bentham, Wks., II. 383. The continent-blockading and commerce-crushing decrees proclaimed by Buonaparte.
