Cheaper

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An item is priced lower than a similar product or service in the market
2. A product is available at a reduced cost when compared to alternatives
3. Sold or offered at a price that is less than comparable items or services

Etymology: Cheaper is the comparative of "cheap", so its history is really the history of the adjective. The surprise is that "cheap" once meant nothing like a bargain bin. Its Old English ancestor, "cēap", meant "trade, market, value," and it was a noun for the act of buying and selling. Related words across the Germanic languages, such as German "Kauf" and Dutch "koop", still carry that sense of purchase. The adjective grew out of a phrase. Middle and Early Modern English speakers said "good cheap" for "a good purchase," as in "that was good cheap," and over time the first word wore away, leaving "cheap" to mean inexpensive. The sense of low price then slid toward low quality, which is why "cheap" can now describe a shoddy product as well as a bargain.

Synonyms: less expensive, more affordable

Antonyms: more expensive, costlier