Commercial

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /kəˈmɜː.ʃəl/

Definitions

1. Relating to the buying and selling of goods and services, or intended for profit rather than artistic or personal purposes
2. Pertaining to business transactions and trade activities, or designed to generate revenue rather than focusing solely on creative or individual interests
3. Associated with the exchange of products for monetary gain, or created with the primary aim of financial success rather than artistic expression

Etymology: Latin "commercium" was a word for trade and exchange, built from "com-" (together) and "merx" (merchandise, goods), so the core idea is goods changing hands between people. Over time the Roman sense of a deal or exchange was extended to commerce as a whole, and the term came to mean the dealings of buyers and sellers in general. The adjective took a longer route. Late Latin formed "commercialis" from it, and French then produced "commercial," meaning of or pertaining to commerce. English borrowed that French adjective, so the word reached us through French rather than directly from Latin. The sense "intended for profit rather than artistic or personal purposes" is a later extension: a commercial product or venture is judged by whether it sells, and that is the meaning most people now encounter first.

Synonyms: advertisement, promotion, marketing

Antonyms: noncommercial, private