commoditycom‧mod‧i‧ty /kəˈmɒdəti $ kəˈmɑː-/ ●○○ noun (plural commodities) [countable] 
agricultural commodities Commodity prices fell sharply.► see thesaurus at product2formal a useful quality or thing: Time is a precious commodity.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesan important commodity· Crude oil is the world’s most important commodity.an expensive commodity· Consumers began to find that they could afford more expensive commodities.a valuable/precious commodity· Land is an extremely valuable commodity.a rare/scarce commodity· Soap was a scarce commodity during the war.a hot commodity (=one that a lot of people want to buy)· Web domains ending in .com became hot commodities.a saleable/tradeable commodity (=one that can be sold or traded)· Land is a freely saleable commodity.agricultural commodities· The falling prices of agricultural commodities such as coffee have severely affected the economy.industrial commodities· Sales of the old industrial commodities of iron and coal are still important.commodity + NOUNcommodity prices· Commodity prices are very high in the UK.a commodity market· Coffee is facing the deepest crisis in a global commodity market since the great depression of the 30s.
WORD ORIGINcommodity
Origin:
1400-1500 French commodité, from Latin commoditas, from commodus; ➔ COMMODEEXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- A lighter is a rare commodity here.
- But divinity is a fragile commodity.
- Food shopping takes time, a commodity of which most of us have precious little.
- He might want her as a doctor, but as a woman, it seemed, she was a disposable commodity.
- Most alarmingly, the show suggests that industrialism, valuing commodities above itself, promoted a ghoulish worship of death.
- Of course many programmes of regional co-operation exist, but unlike oil most Third World commodities are no longer essential to the West.
- Other commodity exchanges said they would keep normal hours.
THESAURUS
noun [countable] something that is made or produced in large quantities, usually in order to be sold: · consumer products such as mobile phones· dairy products
noun [plural] things that are produced in order to be sold, especially for use in the home: · They sell furniture and other household goods.· electrical goods· white goods (=large electrical goods used in the home such as washing machines and refrigerators)
noun [countable] formal a type of product or raw material that can be bought and sold – used especially about basic food products, metals, and fuels: · The decline in prices for agricultural commodities made the economic situation worse.· All metal was a valuable commodity and was rarely wasted.
noun [uncountable] formal things that are being sold, especially in shops: · Customers are not allowed to handle the merchandise.· Sales of books, videos, and other merchandise have increased.
noun [plural] written things that are offered for sale, especially in a market or on the street: · In the market, the traders began selling their wares.· Merchants brought their wares from all over the world.
noun [countable often plural] a product that is sent to a foreign country in order to be sold: · US exports rose to $11.935 billion.· At the moment, oil is their biggest export.
noun [countable often plural] goods that are brought from one country into another to be sold there: · The UK clothing industry cannot compete with foreign imports on price.
WORD SETSabsolute advantage, active population, additionality, nounadjustable peg, nounannual earnings, anti-dumping, adjectiveanti-inflation, adjectiveausterity, nounbad debt, nounbalance of payments, nounbalance of trade, nounbalance sheet, nounbank money, bank rate, nounbankrupt, adjectivebankrupt, verbbankrupt, nounbarrier to trade, nounbilateralism, nounblack market, nounboom, nounbroad money, brown goods, nounbudget, nounCACM, capital accumulation, nouncapital formation, nouncapitalism, nouncapitalist, adjectivecapital surplus, cartel, nouncentral government borrowing requirement, CGBR, Chicago School, nounclosed economy, nouncommerce clause, commodity, nouncommodity product, comparative advantage, consumer, nounconsumer confidence, nounconsumer durables, nounconsumer goods, nounconsumer price index, nounconsumer surplus, consumption, nounconsumption function, nounCost of Production Theory of Value, nouncreditor turnover rate, nouncredit rationing, noundebt ratio, deflate, verbdemand, noundemand and supply, noundemand price, demonstration effect, deregulate, verbdeveloped, adjectivedirigisme, noundiscretionary spending, dishoarding, noundisinflation, noundisposable income, noundis-saving, noundisutility, noundiversify, verbdivision of labour, noundole queue, dollars-and-cents, adjectivedowntick, noundownturn, noundrawdown, nouneconomic, adjectiveeconomic goods, economic paradigm, economist, nouneconomy, nounefficient market, elasticity of demand, nounelasticity of substitution, nounembargo, verbemployment theory, euro-zone, exchange, nounExchange equalization account, exchange rate mechanism, nounexpectations, nounexpenditure, nounexternal account, external competitiveness, externality, nounfactor cost, factor of production, nounFederal funds, fiscal, adjectivefloor, nounflow of funds, nounforced saving, for-profit, adjectivefree enterprise, nounfree marketeer, nounfree movement, nounfree trade, nounGDP, nounGNP, nounGoldilocks economy, goods, noungoods and services, noungross domestic product, noungross national product, noungross product, nounguaranteed price, hyperinflation, nounIMF, the, IMF quota, imperfect competition, imperfect market, import, nounimport, verbimportation, nounimporter, nounincome effect, industrial output index, Industrial Sentiment index, inelastic, adjectiveinflate, verbinflation, nouninflationary, adjectiveintermediate goods, International Monetary Fund, nouninvestment goods, J-curve, nounknowledge economy, labour-intensive, adjectivelabour market, nounLaffer curve, nounlaissez-faire, nounliving standard, nounMaastricht Treaty, nounmacroeconomics, nounmarginal revenue, market-driven, adjectivemarket economy, nounmarket failure, market forces, nounmarket-led, adjectivemarket-oriented, adjectivemarket value, nounmixed economy, nounmonetarism, nounmonetary, adjectivemoney income, monopsony, nounmultilateralism, nounNAIRU, nounnational debt, nounnational income, nationalize, verbnational wealth, neocolonialism, nounnet output, NIC, nounnominal price, non-durable goods, open-market, adjectiveoutflow, nounoverheated, adjectivepass-along, nounpass-through, nounpeg, verbper-capita income, perfect competition, perfect market, personal saving, political economy, nounpost-industrial, adjectivePPI, price control, nounprice effect, price fixing, nounprice-fixing, nounprice index, nounprice-insensitive, adjectiveprice-sensitive, adjectiveprice support, nounprice theory, primary production, private enterprise, nounprivately-owned, adjectiveprivatization, nounprivatize, verbproducer price index, production control, protect, verbprotectionism, nounprotective, adjectivepublic enterprise, public ownership, nounpublic sector borrowing requirement, public service, nounPurchasing Managers' index, real, adjectivereal income, recession, nounreflation, nounrefund, nounRetail Price Index, scarcity value, nounshakeout, nounSingle European Market, slump, nounsocial accounting, socioeconomic, adjectivesqueeze, verbsqueeze, nounstagflation, nounstandard of living, nounstandard spending assessment, staple, nounstringent, adjectivesubsidy, nounsubstitution effect, surplus, nounsystematic risk, trade deficit, nountrade dispute, trade gap, nountrade surplus, nountrade-weighted index, trickle-down effect, nountrough, nountrust, noununder-investment, noununit of account, noununsystematic risk, uptick, nounvoodoo economics, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives To the surprise of many Wall Street traders, the dollar rose yesterday.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1a product that is bought and sold: · Crude oil is the world’s most important commodity.
· Consumers began to find that they could afford more expensive commodities.
· Land is an extremely valuable commodity.
· Soap was a scarce commodity during the war.
(=one that a lot of people want to buy)· Web domains ending in .com became hot commodities.
(=one that can be sold or traded)· Land is a freely saleable commodity.
· The falling prices of agricultural commodities such as coffee have severely affected the economy.
· Sales of the old industrial commodities of iron and coal are still important.
commodity + NOUN· Commodity prices are very high in the UK.
· Coffee is facing the deepest crisis in a global commodity market since the great depression of the 30s.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· Water is a precious commodity.
To the surprise of many Wall Street traders, the dollar rose yesterday.· But it was a reminder the supply of agricultural commodities at reasonable prices could not be guaranteed in the short-term.· For Cargill, one of the leading agricultural and commodity companies, the problem was entirely different.· That cost the country the proceeds of a tobacco harvest and the income from other agricultural commodities.
· I.B.C. trades worldwide buying and selling basic commodities such as timber, coal and cement.· Most arable farmers are nothing more than basic commodity producers.· In the transportation field, taxis and the most basic commodity of all, fuel, are based on unit cost prices.
· We must also give some consideration to composite commodities.· Thus the composite commodity of taking part in skiing is larger than the package holiday.· In the same way as we talk about the composite commodity of sport, we can also refer to the composite price.
· Crude oil is the world's most important commodity and crude oil is priced in dollars.· Jade, which was recovered from the river when its reflection was seen in the moonlight, was an important commodity.· Time Time is another critically important commodity.
· But follow the financial columns and you realise this club will be bought and sold, like any other worthwhile commodity.· These ships in return bring coals and lime-stone and many other commodities.· In contrast to other commodities, metal futures contracts remain open at their original prices until their respective prompt dates.· Do they ever take an interest in the increased prices Ulster people endure on food and other commodities compared to the mainland?· A similar argument holds for any other commodity we try to tax.· Moves towards free markets for farm produce and other commodities were firmly rejected.· Boats were able to sail from the river Humber into the village carrying fish and other commodities.· The demand for health care, it is argued, is similar to the demand for any other commodity.
· Thus the healthy growth of a particular commodity - in this case steel - actually caused a closure.· In a competitive market the bargaining power of the owner of a particular commodity is limited.· All they needed was water to reconstitute them and there was definitely going to be no shortage of that particular commodity.
· In other words, it seemed that as petty commodity traders these marketwomen were often unable even to reproduce their present conditions.· Marx himself might have viewed these small-scale marketers as resembling petty commodity producers more than petty capitalists.
· Zygotes are intrinsically more difficult-yet efficiency clearly has to be much higher, for zygotes are precious commodities.· Sugar was considered a precious commodity.· Breath, energy and time are precious commodities for Mr McTear.· I had, in effect, convinced her that television was a precious commodity.· For everyone energy is limited, a precious commodity.· Hope is the most precious commodity of all.· Water is a precious commodity too long taken for granted in the West.
· Nearly all exported products were primary commodities such as palm oil and cocoa, or copper and gold.· In 1986 alone, primary commodity prices fell sharply by an average of nine percent.
· Separate offices for quiet work are a rare commodity.· Maleness is a rather rare commodity at this stage.· Hydrogen sulphide was probably a relatively rare commodity, even in ancient times.· A lighter is a rare commodity here.· Luck is a rare commodity but the harder a manager works the more he has of it.· Their whistles give them power, a rare commodity among revolutionaries.· When the new shops open, they also have that all too rare mainland commodity - customers - and plenty of them.· But honesty is a rare commodity, especially in dreamland.
· Hence relative scale-adjusted commodity prices and relative factor rewards provide a valid prediction of the intersectoral pattern of trade.· In particular, size differences can lead to differences in relative factor rewards and scale-adjusted relative commodity prices.· It remains therefore to consider relative commodity prices and relative factor rewards.
· Soap was a scarce commodity but he as doctor had priority.· The scarcest commodity within the firm was, quite simply, time.· Movie cameras have become a scarce commodity.· But what about other planets, where water may be a scarce commodity?· The scarcer the commodity - eg accountancy - the more the applicant will exercise his power of selection.· Water is becoming a scarce and expensive commodity and the supply industry is now big business.· That may be true of land-a scarce commodity on a small island-but what about pay?
· And get the most valuable commodity of all.· In the battle for human empathy that preceded the real conflict, they were the most valuable commodity.· With food a more valuable commodity here than gold, the port is a flashpoint between marauding gangs of looters and bandits.· Time, as you will agree, is the most valuable commodity that we possess.· So information becomes a valuable commodity, and the gathering of it a labour-intensive industry.· Time is one of our most valuable commodities.
NOUN· International commodities broker Ian Spiro, 46, is still missing.· Their punkish stance is probably a put-on: doubtless their dads are commodities brokers.· A firm of commodity brokers sought advice from a computer consultant on the installation of a computer system.
· But making tyres is a commodity business in which economies of scale matter a lot.· But government bond trading throughout Wall Street has become more of a commodity business.
· Within commodity culture, that which is specific to photography interacts extensively with broader political and cultural issues.· If we look at other photographic genres, we can also observe the way in which commodity culture has affected their development.· Such is the force of commodity culture that a tasteful logo and unconnected image can sell clothes around the world.· Therefore this chapter will concentrate on the way photography has been used in representing commodity culture.· In this sense, from the very beginning, photographs were employed to induce desire and promote commodity culture.
· Other commodity exchanges said they would keep normal hours.
· The main concern of their administration was to profit from the monopoly over cinnamon, the principal export commodity.
· The bargaining processes within the Defence commodity market are often described in the media and in Parliament as vicious inter-Service infighting.· A couple of wrong moves in the commodities market put his back against the wall.· Both firms and workers are being coerced by the same forcemajeure of insufficient demand in the commodity market.· The drives business is becoming a commodity market as most manufacturers produce devices with similar technology.· They may not be rich, but they do lead dignified, autonomous lives off the rollercoaster of the commodity markets.· Workers are said to be rationed in the labour market and firms are said to be rationed in the commodity market.· Even the lighter stories tended to be along the lines of parrots who played the commodities market.
· The fall in commodity prices means that Third World countries must produce more to earn the same amount.· In particular, size differences can lead to differences in relative factor rewards and scale-adjusted relative commodity prices.· Just occasionally, however, the commodity price movements provided a window of opportunity to relax the highly protectionist policies.· It remains therefore to consider relative commodity prices and relative factor rewards.· After falling throughout 1989, commodity prices rallied in the first part of 1990.· However, the fall was due more to commodity price rises and the strength of the dollar than any concerted national effort.· But developing countries are still dependent for all their foreign currency earnings upon the fluctuations of commodity prices on the world market.· There is always the chance, he says, that 1992 will produce record yields, and high commodity prices.
· Their prices might fall, hurting commodity producers.· Marx himself might have viewed these small-scale marketers as resembling petty commodity producers more than petty capitalists.· Most arable farmers are nothing more than basic commodity producers.· When prices fall, commodity producers can maintain profitability by cutting costs or increasing output.
· The rich world keeps the South wedded to commodity production by putting up tariff barriers to manufactured goods.· And: Value emerges when we have true commodity production.· Individual nuclear family units not only provide the maximum number of outlets for commodity production, but also facilitate social control.· But there are then crucially different phases of commodity production.· And since capitalist commodity production is spontaneous - that is, unplanned social production, they are anarchic.
· And Mr Hemsley is first and foremost a producer-not a commodity trader.· In other words, it seemed that as petty commodity traders these marketwomen were often unable even to reproduce their present conditions.· They needed an internal phone system that ensured fast and reliable communications between their commodity traders across the world.· That system ended when Gutfreund sold the firm to Phillips Brothers, the commodities trader, in 1981.· Berg traded in commodities and provided finance for other commodity traders.· The Arabs had severed relations with Salomon when it had merged with the commodity traders Phillips Brothers.
VERB· Movie cameras have become a scarce commodity.· And, in greater detail, he tells how rock became a mere commodity in the billion-dollar music industry.· The drives business is becoming a commodity market as most manufacturers produce devices with similar technology.· But government bond trading throughout Wall Street has become more of a commodity business.· Silk, jade and spices became valued commodities.· Networks shift privacy from the realm of morals to the marketplace; privacy becomes a commodity.· Like almost everything else, adventure, danger and even death have now become commodities.· Management, too, has become a commodity that is bought and sold like any other commodity in the marketplace.
· We buy Third World commodities for a song.· They stock up on financial assets such as government bonds, and the government realizes profits by spending its borrowings on buying commodities.· The rich world can now buy more Third World commodities at very low prices.
· For one thing poor countries produce similar commodities, and encouraging them to increase their exports has flooded the market.
· The co-operatives were responsible for selling any over-produced commodity on the world market and this could be difficult.· Management, too, has become a commodity that is bought and sold like any other commodity in the marketplace.· Nevertheless, many Third World countries still rely heavily on selling raw material commodities as their principal source of income.· Their activities result from decisions to produce, to buy, and to sell commodities and resources.· Today many Third World countries remain dependent on selling their commodities to the West.· In advertising terms, we are selling a commodity.
· Berg traded in commodities and provided finance for other commodity traders.· His pastimes became trading commodities on the futures market and collecting butterflies.
agricultural commodities Commodity prices fell sharply.► see thesaurus at product2formal a useful quality or thing: Time is a precious commodity.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesan important commodity· Crude oil is the world’s most important commodity.an expensive commodity· Consumers began to find that they could afford more expensive commodities.a valuable/precious commodity· Land is an extremely valuable commodity.a rare/scarce commodity· Soap was a scarce commodity during the war.a hot commodity (=one that a lot of people want to buy)· Web domains ending in .com became hot commodities.a saleable/tradeable commodity (=one that can be sold or traded)· Land is a freely saleable commodity.agricultural commodities· The falling prices of agricultural commodities such as coffee have severely affected the economy.industrial commodities· Sales of the old industrial commodities of iron and coal are still important.commodity + NOUNcommodity prices· Commodity prices are very high in the UK.a commodity market· Coffee is facing the deepest crisis in a global commodity market since the great depression of the 30s.