auction

auction
\ \ [16] The etymological idea underlying auction is that of ‘increasing’ – as the sale proceeds, the price offered goes up. The word comes from Latin auctiōincrease’, a noun derived from auct-, the past participial stem of the verb augēreincrease’ (source of English augment [15] and author, and related to auxiliary [17] and eke). The sense ‘auction sale’ was already present in Latin.
\ \ Cf.AUGMENT, AUGUST, AUTHOR, AUXILLIARY, EKE, WAX

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • auction — auc·tion n: a public sale of property to the highest bidder see also reserve Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. auction …   Law dictionary

  • auction — [ôk′shən] n. [L auctio, an increasing, sale by increase of bids < auctus, pp. of augere, to increase: see WAX2] 1. a public sale at which items are sold one by one, each going to the last and highest of a series of competing bidders 2. AUCTION …   English World dictionary

  • Auction — Auc tion, n. [L. auctio an increasing, a public sale, where the price was called out, and the article to be sold was adjudged to the last increaser of the price, or the highest bidder, fr. L. augere, auctum, to increase. See {Augment}.] 1. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • auction — (n.) a sale by increase of bids, 1590s, from L. auctionem (nom. auctio) an increasing sale, auction, public sale, noun of action from pp. stem of augere to increase, from PIE root *aug to increase (see AUGMENT (Cf. augment)). In northern England… …   Etymology dictionary

  • auction — ► NOUN ▪ a public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder. ► VERB ▪ sell at an auction. ORIGIN Latin, increase, auction , from augere to increase …   English terms dictionary

  • Auction — Auc tion, v. t. To sell by auction. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Auctĭon — (v. lat.), die öffentliche Versteigerung verkäuflicher Dinge; eine schon den Römern bekannte Art, Sachen in Geld umzusetzen. Sie ward bekannt gemacht durch einen Ausrufer (Praeco) od. einen schriftlichen Anschlag (Libellusauctionarius,… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Auction — Auction, Versteigerung, Gant, der öffentliche Verkauf an den Meistbietenden; auctionis lege, durch öffentliche Versteigerung; auctioniren, versteigern; Auctionator, wer die Versteigerung besorgt, überall obrigkeitlich verpflichtete Personen …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • auction — [n] competitive sale; sale by bid bargain, jam*, sell off; concepts 324,345 …   New thesaurus

  • Auction — Auctioneer redirects here. For the DC Comics supervillain, see Auctioneer (comics). An auctioneer and her assistants scan the crowd for bidders. An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking… …   Wikipedia

  • auction — A common method of issuing gilts. Similar to a tender offer. In an auction, investors apply to buy the new gilts being issued, specifying the amount they wish to purchase and the price they are prepared to pay. The new gilts will be issued to… …   Financial and business terms

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