Definition of negotiate
Etymology
From Latin negotiatus, pp. of negotiari ("to carry on business") < negotium ("business") (Eng. usg. 1599) < nec ("not") + otium ("leisure, ease, inactivity").
Pronunciation
- (RP) IPA: /nəˈgəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, /nɪˈgəʊ.si.eɪt/, SAMPA: /n@g@(U)Se(I)t/
- (US) IPA: /nəˈgoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, /nɪˈgoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, SAMPA: /n@go(U)Se(I)t/
- Audio (US) [?]
Verb
to negotiate (third-person singular simple present negotiates, present participle negotiating, simple past and past participle negotiated)
- (intransitive) To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement.
1963: "You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue." -Martin Luther King, Jr., to the eight fellow clergymen who opposed the civil rights action, "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Why We Can't Wait
- (transitive) To arrange or settle something by mutual agreement.
We negotiated the contract to everyone's satisfaction.
- (transitive) To succeed in coping with, or getting over something.
We negotiated the mountain track with difficulty.
Although the car was quite rickety, he could negotiate the curves very well.
Derived terms
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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