black market

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Trade that is in violation of restrictions, rationing, or price controls.
  2. The people who engage in such trade, or that sector of the economy.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-black market.wav

Word forms

black market black markets black-market

Etymology

Ca. 1930, probably a calque of German Schwarzmarkt, which is attested from the 1910s. Compare Schwärzer (“smuggler”, 18th c.).

Related words

Derived words

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