commodity

[kuh-mod-i-tee]

noun

plural

commodities 

1. an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service.

2. something of use, advantage, or value.

3. Stock Exchange.,  any unprocessed or partially processed good, as grain, fruits, and vegetables, or precious metals.

4. Obsolete.,  a quantity of goods.

commodity

/ kəˈmɒdɪtɪ /

noun

1. an article of commerce

2. something of use, advantage, or profit

3. economics an exchangeable unit of economic wealth, esp a primary product or raw material

4. obsolete

   1. a quantity of goods

   2. convenience or expediency

commodity

1. Any product manufactured or grown.

Other Word Forms

• noncommodity adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of commodity¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English commodite, from Anglo-French, from Latin commoditās “timeliness, convenience,” equivalent to commod(us) ( commode ) + -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of commodity¹

C14: from Old French commodité, from Latin commoditās suitability, benefit; see _commodious

Example Sentences

Other companies have agreed to buy "US agricultural commodities, with a total estimated value of over $2.9 billion", according to a joint statement.

Read more on Barron's

As long as the commodity remains above this short-term moving average, gold bulls will probably have the technical advantage, Chai says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"And there's also other cases, so people who seek to use this as a route to bring people in, and commodities, like drugs, alcohol, tobacco. Unfortunately, people are also commodities."

Read more on BBC

That Western Digital and Seagate have become Wall Street’s hottest tech plays is notable because the stocks had been seen as cyclical commodities for more than two decades, according to Morgan Stanley analysts.

Read more on MarketWatch

“We can’t buy the commodities, but we can arrange to cover the cost of the distribution,” Sarah Shaw, associate director of advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Salon.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• asset 
• goods 
• material 
• produce 
• product 
• property 
• stock