Chaffered

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To bargain or exchange items in a way that involves negotiation and back-and-forth discussion
2. Engaging in a transactional dialogue where terms are debated before arriving at a final agreement
3. Participating in a process of haggling over prices or conditions in order to reach a mutually acceptable deal

Etymology: Chaffer is a word that began as a noun meaning simply "a bargain" or "a trade." In Middle English it took the form chaffare, built from "cheap," in its old sense of market or purchase, and "fare," meaning going or dealing. So the word's first job was describing the act of buying and selling itself, with no hint of haggling. The verb sense, to bargain back and forth over a price, grew out of that noun. The bargaining notion is the part that stuck, while the plain idea of trade faded from everyday use. The word now survives mostly in literary writing, where it suggests a slow, tedious negotiation.

Synonyms: bartered, haggle, negotiated

Antonyms: accepted, agreed, complied