Swopping

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The action of trading one thing for another involves both substitution and an exchange of items between parties
2. Engaging in a practice where items are interchanged denotes both the act of swapping and mutual agreement
3. The process of giving one item and receiving another in return

Etymology: "Swopping" is the present participle of "swop," a variant spelling of "swap." The verb "swop" is a blend of "swing" and "hip-hop," a combination that looks odd at first glance but makes a kind of sense once you see the history. The two source words are joined so that the new word takes its opening from one and its ending from the other, which is how blends are typically formed. The verb is best understood as a recent coinage rather than an ancient one, and its spelling reflects an older British habit: "swop" has long been used as an alternative to "swap" in British English. Both spellings describe the same act of trading one thing for another, and the participle simply follows the verb's form, adding "-ing" to describe the ongoing action.

Synonyms: exchanging, trading, switching, interchanging, bartering