commercialadj.n.
/kəˈməːʃl/, U.S. /kəˈmərʃəl/ A. adj.
1.
a. Engaged in commerce; trading.
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society > trade and finance > [adjective] > trading
merchantc1400
demeanant1467
trading1578
tradeful1595
commercing1610
merchandised1619
mercantile1645
commerciala1687
merchanting1921
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1691) iv. 82 The whole Commercial World, or World of Trade, consisteth of about Eighty Millions of Souls, as aforesaid.
1691 W. Petty Treat. Naval Philos. in T. Hale Acct. New Inventions 129 What Harbours and Ports there are in the whole Commercial World.
1774 E. Burke Speech Electors Bristol in Wks. III. 21 A rich commercial city..a part of a rich commercial nation.
1817 Ponsonby in Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 9 There were in the House many commercial men.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xiv. 136 Did you ever hear of the great commercial house of Bilson and Slum?
1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine (1858) vi. 271 The two great commercial states of the ancient world.
b. Of radio or television broadcasting: paid for by the revenue from broadcast advertisements.
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society > communication > broadcasting > [adjective] > type of broadcasting
sponsored1931
commercial1932
free-to-air1991
1932 B.B.C. Year-bk. 1933 10 The line of least resistance might have been to allow commercial broadcasting for entertainment.
1940 R. Graves & A. Hodge Long Week-end xxv. 425 Managers of theatres and cinemas were..alarmed by the threat of commercial television.
1956 Ann. Reg. 1955 358 The introduction of ‘commercial television’.
1957 Observer 11 Aug. 8/2 A quiet campaign for commercial sound radio is now going on.
2. Having reference to, or bearing on commerce, as in commercial law, commercial treaty.
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society > trade and finance > [adjective] > relating to trade or commerce
merchant1425
emporeutic1612
emporeutical1612
emporetical1656
commercial1744
emporetic1761
trade-related1918
1744 J. Campbell (title) Voyages and Travels containing..the commercial History of Chorea and Japan.
1765 (title) Commercial Laws, Charters and Decrees.
1789 (title) Catalogue of the Commercial Library at Hamburg.
1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking Pref. 7 To pass a commercial examination previous to engaging in business.
1889 Times 30 Dec. 13/2 Commercial geography, in the strict sense, can hardly be considered as an ordinary school subject.
3.
a. Of or pertaining to commerce or trade.
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society > trade and finance > [adjective]
chaffering1483
merchantlike1566
merchantablea1603
emporial1604
merchandising1616
mercantile1638
mercatorian1648
mercatory1654
mercatorial1662
commercial1757
tradal1846
tradey1855
mercantilist1881
mercantilistic1883
1757 S. Johnson Pref. to Rolt's Dict. Comm. in Wks. IX. 422 A time in which..commercial gain was sought with such general emulation.
1825 J. R. McCulloch Princ. Polit. Econ. i. 39 The great principles of commercial freedom.
1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. iii. xii. §3 There is said to be a commercial crisis when a great number of merchants and traders at once, either have, or apprehend that they shall have, a difficulty in meeting their engagements.
b. Of a motor vehicle: designed or used primarily for the conveyance of goods or paying passengers.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [adjective] > of or relating to motor vehicles > for goods or paying passengers
commercial1907
1907 Westm. Gaz. 5 Mar. 4/2 The opening of the Commercial Motor Vehicle and Motor-Boat Exhibition at Olympia on Thursday.
1931 Economist 28 Feb. 431/2 Ford sales of passenger vehicles (commercial vehicles are excluded from these statistics) numbered 4,295.
4.
a. Such as passes current in the transactions of commerce.
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society > trade and finance > [adjective] > characteristic of trade or commerce
commercial1752
1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 192. ⁋11 My contempt of the commercial dialect.
1821 J. Q. Adams in C. Davies Metr. Syst. iii. 115 The corresponding commercial weight proportional to their pound troy.
1879 ‘E. Garrett’ House by Wks. I. 32 The dusty ways of common commercial morality.
b. Forming an article of general commerce.Generally implying chemical impurity, or a different quality from that which is used for scientific or medical purposes.
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society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [adjective] > other types
statuable1636
statutablea1661
rot-proof1849
commercialc1865
machinable1897
anechoic1956
c1865 Orr's Circ. Sc. Chem. 318 The commercial acid is generally not quite pure.
1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) I. 749 [Catechu] The ordinary commercial catechu is prepared by boiling the chips.
5. Viewed as a mere matter of business; looking toward financial profit. Frequently used pejoratively of any art-form, performance, artist, etc., that sets popular acclaim as measured by financial returns above artistic considerations.
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society > occupation and work > business affairs > [adjective] > commercial
commerciala1871
a1871 J. R. Planché Extravaganzas (1879) III. 313 That class of ‘commercial managers’ (to use Boucicault's felicitous designation of them) who care little for the character of the pieces they produce if they will only draw houses.
1882 C. Pebody Eng. Journalism x. 71 The Public Advertiser, if not the first English newspaper to be published upon commercial principles, was the first English newspaper that proved a commercial success.
a1891 Mod. The commercial aspect of the enterprise is not very promising. It is a purely commercial speculation.
1909 G. B. Shaw John Bull's Other Island Pref. p.v An opportunity which the commercial theatres could not have afforded him.
1909 G. B. Shaw John Bull's Other Island Pref. p.v Its immediate and enormous popularity with delighted and flattered English audiences..constituted it a successful commercial play.
1926 Melody Maker Aug. 35 Commercial orchestration, one arranged for sale by the music publisher and in such a manner that it can be played by all and sundry combinations.
1927 Melody Maker June 531/2 Arrangers, who have to be what is known as commercial—commercial apparently being another word for old-fashioned, stereotyped, ambitionless, lacking in imagination, hopelessly orthodox and generally being unable to present anything new for fear that it will not be appreciated by the public.
1937 Amer. Speech 12 46/1 Commercial, a term applied to musicians who play in the fashion which the public likes rather than that which other musicians judge best. ‘The band is better, although still pretty commercial on some tunes.’ Downbeat.
1959 G. Avakian in M. T. Williams Art of Jazz (1960) ix. 75 When she was trying to ‘go commercial’ and her texts strayed from the authenticity they once had.
B. n.
1.
a. Short for commercial traveller n. at Compounds. Also, a man engaged in commerce.
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society > trade and finance > selling > seller > [noun] > commercial traveller
rideout1752
rider1752
outrider1762
traveller1790
commercial traveller1807
bagman1808
town traveller1808
commis voyageur1825
roundman1827
drummer1828
travelling salesman1833
bag woman1845
commercial1861
fieldman1875
outride1879
roundsman1884
knight of the road1889
representative1918
sales representative1949
sales rep1959
rep1973
society > trade and finance > trader > merchant > [noun]
merchantc1225
grocer1427
merchantman1449
marketor1474
fleece-feeder1549
mercadore1595
marcantanta1616
man of business1640
correspondent1698
businessman1803
mercantile1813
net importer1925
commercial1962
1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations I. xiii. 224 A waiter..said, ‘The Commercials..sent up their compliments.’
1870 Charles Dickens Story of Life xxi. 225 A most amusing and sprightly speech upon ‘Commercials’.
1939 D. L. Sayers In Teeth of Evidence 90 Do you know anything about a commercial called Slater?
1962 Times 6 Aug. 9/6 Among the ‘commercials’ the terms of assignment are usually longer and a man may be in India for five or even 10 years.
b. Applied to a vagrant and, in Australia and New Zealand, a swagman.
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1886 Tit-bits 31 July 252 (Farmer) He is one of the cleverest commercials (that is the polite name for rogues and vagabonds generally) on the road.
1933 [see commercial traveller n. at Compounds]. 2. An advertisement broadcast on radio or television. Also transferred. Originally U.S.
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society > communication > broadcasting > a broadcast programme or item > [noun] > types of
news bulletin1857
news summary1875
police message1886
newsflash1904
headline1908
play-by-play1909
feature1913
spot ad1916
magazine1921
news1923
time signal1923
outside broadcast1924
radiocast1924
amateur hour1925
bulletin1925
serial1926
commentary1927
rebroadcast1927
school broadcast1927
feature programme1928
trailer1928
hour1930
schools broadcast1930
show1930
spot advertisement1930
spot announcement1930
sustaining1931
flash1934
newscast1934
commercial1935
clambake1937
remote1937
repeat1937
snap1937
soap opera1939
sportcast1939
spot commercial1939
daytimer1940
magazine programme1941
season1942
soap1943
soaper1946
parade1947
public service announcement1948
simulcasting1949
breakfast-time television1952
call-in1952
talkathon1952
game show1953
kidvid1955
roundup1958
telenovela1961
opt-out1962
miniseries1963
simulcast1964
soapie1964
party political1966
novela1968
phone-in1968
sudser1968
schools programme1971
talk-in1971
God slot1972
roadshow1973
trail1973
drama-doc1977
informercial1980
infotainment1980
infomercial1981
kideo1983
talk-back1984
indie1988
omnibus1988
teleserye2000
kidult-
society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > advertising > types or methods of advertising > [noun] > radio or television advertisement
commercial1935
1935 Fortune Nov. 193 We used no media other than radio to feature this soup..using one-third of our commercials on Campbell's Chicken Soup.
1936 Variety 24 June 55/2 Commercials are restricted to 190 words on an hour program.
1942 Q. Jrnl. Speech Feb. 7/1 The mixture of ghastly, forced gayety and jolly-doggism in this commercial makes it a comic example.
1957 New Yorker 26 Oct. 50/1 Somehow, as in the television commercials, an alluring young lady seemed to be a built-in accessory of each of these cars.
1959 N. Marsh Singing in Shrouds 14 The T.V. bloke that does the Jolyon Swimsuits commercial.
1960 H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 117/2 Commercial, any laudatory statement; praise; a good reference.
1962 Friend 16 Mar. 313/1 A visit to Bulgaria. (A quick commercial here, apropos of the last item: Young Friends would be pleased to hear from any older Friend who happens not to be using his/her car/van/Minibus during the period August 15–September 15!).
1967 M. McLuhan & Q. Fiore Medium is Massage 126 Up until very recently, television commercials were regarded as simply a bastard form.
Compounds
Phrases. † commercial play n. Obsolete cf. commerce n. 6b.
commercial agency n. U.S. an organization which furnishes its clients with information as to the standing of commercial firms.
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1897 F. Rawle Bouvier's Law Dict. (new ed.) I. 357/2 Commercial Agency.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 634/1 Mercantile, or commercial, agencies in America.
commercial agent n. U.S. an agent stationed abroad to attend to commercial interests.
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society > authority > delegated authority > one having delegated or derived authority > [noun] > one who acts for another > in business matters
pragmatical1623
business agent1831
commercial agent1877
1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 317/1 The United States commercial agents, although appointed by the president, receive no exæquatur. They..are distinct from the consular agents.
commercial art n. art employed in commerce, esp. in advertising.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > [noun] > commercial or industrial art
industrial art1838
industrial design1840
commercial art1922
1922 Commercial Art Oct. 1/1 There are some fastidious people who will not suffer the term ‘Commercial Art’ being used.
1922 Commercial Art Dec. 48/1 The only test of commercial art is: Will it sell the goods?
commercial artist n.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > [noun] > artist > industrial or commercial
industrial designer1840
commercial artist1922
1922 Commercial Art Dec. 52/1 The commercial artist of the new school appeals to the imagination.
1955 H. Read Grass Roots of Art vii. 132 A ‘commercial’ artist, which term might include poster-artist, fashion-designer, book-illustrator or artist-potter.
commercial college n. one for instruction in commercial subjects.
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1802 Monthly Mag. 14 261/2 Dr. Alderson, of Hull, has issued Proposals for establishing a Commercial College.
1888 R. Wormell in Jrnl. Educ. Feb. 117/1 The advisability of having a separate council or body of trustees for the Commercial College.
1908 W. H. Dawson Evol. Mod. Germany 101 A Leipzig institution of recent origin, the Commercial College, founded in 1898 by the Chamber of Commerce of that town.
commercial letter n. a size of writing paper in U.S.
commercial note n. a size of writing paper in U.S.
commercial paper n. see quot. 1897
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society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > promissory notes or bills of exchange > [noun]
credit1662
paper1704
commercial paper1836
stamped paper1847
near money1936
near-cash1937
1836 in W. L. Mackenzie Van Buren (1846) 176 The demolition of the Usury laws, in relation to commercial paper,..is probably desirable.
1897 Bouvier's Law Dict. Commercial Paper, negotiable paper given in due course of business, whether the element of negotiability be given it by the law merchant or by statute.
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1749 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 17 Oct. (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1421 Are they little commercial play, are they music, are they la belle conversation, or are they all three?
1774 Ld. Chesterfield Lett. to Son I. 318 Do [your Amusements and Pleasures] consist in little commercial play (un petit jeu de société) in good company?
commercial room n. a room in an inn, hotel, etc., for the accommodation of commercial travellers and their customers.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > room by type of occupant > [noun] > other spec.
family room1772
commercial room1836
balakhana1840
bachelor-room1862
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xiv. 134 In the evening..the ‘commercial room’ was filled with a social circle.
commercial school n. one for instruction in commercial subjects.
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1889 Sonnenschein's Cycl. Educ. 440/2 The training of the commercial school will not make a boy a clever buyer and seller.
1892 R. Gambaro's Less. Commerce p. v Lecturer on the English Language at the Royal High Commercial School at Genoa.
1901 Hooper & Graham Comm. Educ. 13 State-supported Technical and Commercial Schools and Institutions.
commercial sheep n. a sheep reared for selling and not for breeding purposes.
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1914 Scotsman 10 Sept. 9/6 A big, strong commercial sheep.
commercial traveller n. (a) an agent for a manufacturer, wholesale trader, etc., who travels over a district, showing samples and soliciting orders; (b) Australian and New Zealand slang; = swagger n.2 2.
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society > trade and finance > selling > seller > [noun] > commercial traveller
rideout1752
rider1752
outrider1762
traveller1790
commercial traveller1807
bagman1808
town traveller1808
commis voyageur1825
roundman1827
drummer1828
travelling salesman1833
bag woman1845
commercial1861
fieldman1875
outride1879
roundsman1884
knight of the road1889
representative1918
sales representative1949
sales rep1959
rep1973
1807 R. Southey Lett. from Eng. II. xxxvii. 137 A commercial traveller..gave us some useful information concerning Manchester.
1830 N. S. Wheaton Jrnl. 497 At the Inn..I found a number of commercial travellers.
1855 (title) Commercial Traveller in Light and Shade.
1860 C. Dickens in All Year Round 18 Feb. 392/1 (title) Uncommercial Traveller.
1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 30 Sept. 15/7 Commercial, or c. traveller, slang for swagger.
1959 J. Braine Vodi v. 79 An ex-commercial traveller with a wife as fat and cheerful and black-haired as himself.
commercial university n. one for instruction in commercial subjects.
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1853 Scott. Educ. & Lit. Jrnl. July 438 A movement..for the establishment of a Commercial University.
Draft additions July 2002
commercial A n. the symbol @, so called from its use in calculating prices (as ‘four apples at ——’); = at sign n.
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1894 Amer. Dict. Printing & Bookmaking 107/2 Commercial A, a mark (@) used instead of at.
2000 Oxf. Dict. Writers & Editors (ed. 2) 1/1 @, the ‘commercial a’ used in calculating from prices; used in the domain name in email addresses.
Draft additions July 2002
commercial at n. = commercial A n. at Additions.
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1969 V. Cerf Request for Comments (Network Working Group) (Electronic text) No. 20. 5 (table) Symbol..@... Name..Commercial At.
1996 Independent 22 Jan. (Suppl.) 11/1 Diligent research..uncovered the fact that printers call it the ‘commercial at’.
Draft additions July 2009
commercial bank n. a bank offering commercial banking services.
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society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > bank > other types of bank
merchant bank1620
land-bank1696
private bank1696
paper bankc1720
national bank1736
bank of circulation1767
bank of deposit1767
corporate bank1780
state bank1791
branch bank1796
reserve bank1816
investment bank1824
bank of issue1831
commercial bank1838
red dog1838
wild cat1838
central bank1841
national bank1864
investment house1878
issue house1878
clearing-bank1883
issuing house1890
member bank1914
custodian1915
merchant banker1924
Swiss bank1949
development bank1950
Transcash1982
telephone bank1985
bancassurer1991
1838 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. May 114 Commercial banks should, in making loans or discounts based on deposits and circulation, confine themselves to business paper having but a short time to run.
1897 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Evening Gaz. 5 Oct. 6/2 The savings bank gathers the small sums that commercial banks do not solicit.
1934 N.Y. Times 6 Aug. (Late City ed.) 27/2 Commercial banks did not hesitate to violate their fiduciary duty to depositors seeking disinterested investment counsel by referring such inquiries to their affiliates.
2001 Red Herring Nov. 80/2 The so-called universal bank..consists of a commercial bank and an investment bank under one roof.
Draft additions July 2009
commercial banker n. a person engaged in commercial banking; (also) a commercial bank.
ΚΠ
1820 B. A. Heywood Observ. Circulation Individ. Credit on Banking Syst. Eng. II. 54 The great business transacted by merchants and commercial bankers is already..almost entirely disconnected from the use of bank notes and coin.
1935 Amer. Econ. Rev. 25 146 Our commercial bankers have departed from their proper functions and consciously or unconsciously become mortgage bankers or bond salesmen, or even croupiers for the gambling games carried on in stock exchanges.
1989 M. Lewis Liar's Poker 27 Glass-Steagal..cleaved mankind in two... Investment bankers now underwrote securities, such as stocks and bonds. Commercial bankers, like Citibank, took deposits and made loans.
2008 Washington Post (Nexis) 21 Sept. (Met 2 ed.) a1 Investment bankers get paid for performance, so they take risks to get paid... The prevailing goals of commercial bankers are to protect assets.
Draft additions July 2009
commercial banking n. the business of providing banking services (such as the receipt of deposits and the administration of current accounts, loans, etc.), esp. to major corporations and institutions; cf. retail banking n. at retail n.1, adj., and adv. Compounds.
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society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > types of
private banking1757
merchant banking1772
corporate banking1811
commercial banking1819
investment banking1883
wild cat1896
electronic banking1957
Eurobanking1961
telephone banking1966
telebanking1974
1819 Times 13 Feb. 3/3 The greater part of its advances is made to the Government, a moderate proportion only of its paper is employed in discounts for the merchants... This combination..of the proper business of commercial banking, with the national finance, is the radical vice which undermines its constitution.
1838 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. 116 Particular cases will serve to elucidate the principles of commercial banking, and show the difference between it and other kinds of banking.
1922 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. Jan. p. xxiv/2 It is..impossible to add investment banking to commercial banking and get security.
1984 M. Useem Inner Circle ii. 35 The commercial banking sector has undergone vast consolidation, with just four London clearing banks..now accounting for virtually all retail banking in the country.
2009 Irish Times (Nexis) 8 May (Finance section) 2 Profits in Barclays retail and commercial banking arm almost halved in the first three months of 2009 as UK consumers and businesses struggled to repay loans and overdrafts.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.a1687