Mär'ket1, n.
n. [O. H. Ger. marchat, marcat, mercat, M. H. Ger. markat, N. H. Ger. markt, Icel. markaðr, Dan. marked, Sw. marknad, L. Ger. marked, markt, D. markt, from Lat. mercatus, trade, market-place, from mercari, mercatus, to trade, traffic, from merx, mercis, ware, merchandise; Fr. marché, Pr. mercat, It. mercato, Sp. & Pg. mercado, also from Lat. mercatus.]
Sense 1. A public place in a city or town where provisions or cattle are exposed to sale; an appointed place for selling and buying at private sale, as distinguished from an auction.
Sense 2. A place of sale; a building where wares are bought and sold; a market-house.
Sense 3. A town, region, country, &c., where there is a demand for an article, and where it may be disposed of by sale or barter; hence, demand and sale, or exchange; disposal of wares; rate at which goods are disposed of.
There is a third thing to be considered: how a market can be obtained for produce, or how production can be limited to the capacities of the market. J. S. Mill.
Sense 4. The price for which a thing is sold in a market; hence, price; value; worth. [Rare.]
What is a man If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? Shak.
Sense 5. (Eng. Law.) The privilege granted to a town of having a public market.
☞ Market is often used in forming compounds, the meaning of which is very obvious; as, market-basket, market-boat, market-cart, market-crier, market-day, market-dues, market-folk or market-folks, market-garden, market-gardener, market-gardening, market-hall, market-house, market-maid, market-man, market-place, market-price, market-rate, market-train, market-wagon, market-woman, and the like.