Trade
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "trade" means 1) shopping or buying from a business, 2) barter/exchange, or, 3) line of work.
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Hillbilly Dude Says...
You'll hear 'I stopped tradin' with so-in-so' in the rural areas around here. Hillbilly Dude Says...
You'll hear 'I stopped tradin' with so-in-so' in the rural areas around here. Pronunciation
[TRAYD]
Meaning & Usage
- To do business with (Appalachian use) (verb)
Mae:
You still trade at Johnson’s Market?
You still trade at Johnson’s Market?
Earl:
Nope, not since they stopped stockin’ cornmeal.
Nope, not since they stopped stockin’ cornmeal.- To exchange or barter (verb)
Earl:
I’ll trade you my hammer for that saw.
I’ll trade you my hammer for that saw.- A line of work or profession (noun)
Mae:
Plumbin’s his trade, always has been.
Plumbin’s his trade, always has been.variations: trading, tradin'
★ In Appalachian speech, saying "I don’t trade with them" can carry strong social weight - a way of showing disapproval or distrust. ★
Origin and Etymology
From Old English "trād" meaning a path or course. Over time it came to mean exchange of goods, then broadened to "business" and "profession." The Appalachian use of "trade" as regular shopping or dealings is a survival of older English speech.
Usage Notes
Still widely heard in Appalachia and the South, especially among older speakers. Outside these regions, "trade" mostly means barter or profession, not day-to-day business dealings.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "trayd." Quick and clipped, often in "tradin’" form.