broker

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ˈbroʊkər/ UK /ˈbrəʊkə/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
an agent who arranges deals between buyers and sellers; to negotiate a deal

A broker helped them buy the property at a fair price.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an agent who arranges deals... agent intermediary middleman dealernegotiatorgo-between

Word family

Forms broking

Derived forms brokeragebrokering

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman brocour ('small trader, agent'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French brokeor ('tapster, retailer of wine'), from brochier ('to broach, tap a cask').

brocour Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# broker

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈbroʊkər
**IPA (UK):** ˈbrəʊkə

## Meanings
1. an agent who arranges deals between buyers and sellers; to negotiate a deal

## Examples
- A broker helped them buy the property at a fair price.

## Synonyms
- agent
- intermediary
- middleman
- dealer
- negotiator
- go-between

## Derived Forms
- brokerage
- brokering

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: brocour

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman brocour ('small trader, agent'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French brokeor ('tapster, retailer of wine'), from brochier ('to broach, tap a cask').

## AI Etymology
Broker comes from Anglo-Norman brocour ('small trader, agent'), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French brokeor ('tapster, retailer of wine'), from brochier ('to broach, tap a cask'). The historical trail runs through brocour in Old French. The history must be left partly open, preserving the uncertainty rather than forcing a single unsupported ancestry. Used as a noun and verb, broker now means "an agent who arranges deals between buyers and sellers; to negotiate a deal", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as brokerage and brokering. That uncertainty is part of the entry: the safest account is the attested form and the limited comparisons preserved with it.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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