1. The buying and selling of goods, especially on a large scale, as between cities or nations. See synonyms at business.
2. Intellectual exchange or social interaction.
3. Sexual intercourse.

[French, from Old French, from Latin commercium : com-, com- + merx, merc-, merchandise.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.