| 释义 |
trafficn. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Italian. Etymons: French trafique, traffic; Italian traffico. Etymology: < (i) Middle French trafic, traficque, trafique, traffic, trafficque, traphique (French trafic ) commerce, trade, especially long-distance trade (1339; frequently from 1541 with reference to dealing or bargaining in something which should not be made the subject of trade, e.g. (in Calvin) the sale of indulgences), intrigue, scheming (late 15th cent.; the neutral sense ‘enterprise, undertaking’ is not paralleled in French until later than in English: 1552), and its etymon (ii) Italian traffico, †trafico commerce, trade (a1348; from 18th cent. with negative connotation), occupation, dealings (a1419), apparently < Italian trafficare traffic v. (for the ulterior etymology, see discussion at that entry), although post-classical Latin trafica (see note) may imply much earlier currency of the noun in Italian. Foreign-language parallels. Compare post-classical Latin trafica (late 9th cent. in an Italian source), Old Occitan trafec , trafey (13th cent., earliest in the sense ‘intrigue’), Spanish tráfico (early 17th cent.; mid-15th cent. as tráfago ), Portuguese tráfico (1516; 15th cent. as tráfego ). Specific forms. The Older Scots forms in -ct- are reverse spellings reflecting 15th-cent. loss of /t/ after /k/ in other words (e.g. effect n.). I. Senses relating to the commercial transportation of goods or commodities. * Senses relating to the activity or business of commercial transportation of goods or commodities, or to other dealings. 1505 in J. Gairdner (1863) II. App. D. 381 Asfor K. H. [i.e. King Henry's] traffykkes they knewe theym wele ynough and better than ye did. 2. society > trade and finance > importing and exporting > [noun] society > trade and finance > [noun] society > occupation and work > business affairs > [noun] 1511 (Pynson) f. xliiijv We founde also at Candy .ij. other Galyes venysyans ladynge Maluesyes called the Galeys of traffygo. 1549 W. Thomas f. 1v How commodious the countrey is..to the trafficque of them that liue by merchaundise. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie (1888) I. 38 A citie..to quhilke the frenche men and Spaniȝeards oft because of thair treffik sailed ouir. 1603 G. de Malynes Ep. Ded. sig. A3 A due consideration must be had of the course of Commodities, Money, and Exchange: which are the essentiall parts of all trade and trafficke. 1697 J. Evelyn i. 3 Antient Moneys..first used in Trafick. 1719 D. Defoe 296 It was not the Way to or from any Part of the World, where the English had any Traffick. 1727 W. Mather (ed. 13) 396 Traffick then is the Bartering, Bargaining, or Exchanging of one Man with another. 1848 H. H. Wilson III. iv. 128 After a brief interval, Prome again became the seat of industry and traffic. 1860 J. L. Motley I. i. 7 Cadiz,..seated by the straits where the ancient and modern systems of traffic were blending like the mingling of the two oceans. 1909 40 463 For a thousand years.., European traffic was chiefly by boat, either coastwise or riverwise. 2019 72 i. 101 The most decisive effect on the war in the Atlantic would come from cutting off traffic between North America and Britain across the North Atlantic. society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > expedition > for trade 1548 f. ccxli Thether was one of their common trafficques and ventes, of all their Merchaundice. 1598 R. Hakluyt (title) The principal navigations, voiages, traffiqves and discoueries of the English nation. 1611 E. India Co. Comm. 4 Apr. in A. Farrington (1991) II. 979 And in all theis your passadges & traffiques our desire is that you should informe yourselfe of safe harbors. society > trade and finance > [noun] > an act of trading 1556 22 Dec. (single sheet) So doth their Maiesties by this their proclamation straitelye charge and commaund al their subiects.., that they and euerye of them in all their traffiques, byinges and sellynges do quietly and obediently receyue vtter and paye aswel the said coyne or monye called testons as all other coygnes or monyes. 1578 T. Ellis sig. Avv We did coniecture, that they had either Artificers among them, or els a trafficke with some other nation. 1652 J. Darell 4 Their exporting hence our owne coine..in as great quantities to maintaine a Traffique of 100. or 150000 li. per annum, as the Dutch to maintain a Trade of 2000000 li. per an. or more. 1767 13 Nov. Mexico and Vera Cruz are principally supplied by these south sea traders; so that they very seldom attempt a traffic on their own bottom, to Jamaica. 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian viii, in 2nd Ser. III. 210 She..had now, under pretence of a trifling traffic, resumed predatory habits. 1985 June 46/4 The company had two main traffics, the carriage of building materials and the carriage of carpets. 2014 83 226 There was a thriving traffic in treasure across the Pacific. society > trade and finance > illegal or immoral trading > [noun] 1583 M. M. S. tr. B. de las Casas sig. Gv That saide Lorde..commaunded all his subiectes,..that they shoulde returne in exchaunge of that ware Indies and Indisses to make slaues of. The Indians beeing affeard, those which had two children, gaue him one, and he that had three gaue him two. This was the ende of this sacrilegious trafficke. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta v. xxx. 426 Those which made it a trafficke to buy and sell slaves. 1663 S. Patrick (1687) xxi. 220 Their courtesies are meer traffique, and they always expect to gain more than they give. 1702 105 They make a Traffick of Honour, and pay for it with the wind of fair Words. 1786 E. Burke Articles of Charge against W. Hastings in (1813) XII. 202 Engaged in a low, clandestine traffick, prohibited by the laws of the Country. 1818 33 686 It is notorious, that seats in the House of Commons are an article of traffick as much as any commercial or manufactured article. 1880 ‘Mrs. Forrester’ I. 19 You make the most shameless traffic and barter of yourselves and each other. 1981 A. Schlee x. 135 This man was no ordinary thief, but was engaged in a traffic which might help political offenders to escape. 2015 N. Scheper-Hughes in M. Dragiewicz vi. 87 The EU,..the United States Department of Justice, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime should pay more attention to combating the global traffic in humans for illicit and clandestine transplants. 3. figurative. 1550 T. Nicolls tr. Thucydides v. v. f. cxxxiiiiv (heading) How the Athenyans and Lacedemonyans entermeddledde and vsed theire traffique that same sommer, lyuynge in doubte and dissimulation the one wyth the othere. 1570 G. Buchanan Chamæleon in (1892) 46 The ouersey trafficque of mariage growing cauld. 1633 Bp. J. Hall (ed. 3) §cxxv. 313 Surely this very traffique of faculties is that, whereby we live..one man lends a braine; another an arme; one; a tongue, another, an hand. 1819 W. Scott III. x. 236 I am stout enough to exchange buffets with any who will challenge me to such a traffic. 1933 J. Hilton (1949) viii. 187 Does it not charm you to think of wise and serene friendships, a long and kindly traffic of the mind from which death may not call you away with his customary hurry? 2012 in R. Lettevall et al. 337 The traffic of ideas among technocratic networks within Western Europe and the United States. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane f. cccxxxixv That secreat trafficke, that thou haste with infidels. 1633 T. Stafford i. xv. 96 The President..returned him no Answer.., utterly refusing any further traffique with him. 1727 D. Defoe i. iii. 64 Perhaps they were not harden'd enough at first for the carrying on such a Traffick [i.e. dealings with the Devil]. 1831 19 Nov. 158/3 I have had so little traffic with my fellow-creatures that I am destitute of numberous little pieces of knowledges requisite in all who would mingle with them without being ridiculous. 1893 R. L. Stevenson xxviii. 337 Our traffic is settled. 1926 Mar. 116 Ony gran' body 'at hid mair trafféck hid tae sen' his ain messenger. 2002 (Nexis) 21 June 35 His spare, somber interiors and portraits had no traffic with the developing language of modernism. ** Things transported or traded, and extended uses. †4. society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] 1533 T. Elyot iv. f. 66 The couaytouse marchaunt..with his sayles and sterrne presumeth to inforce the wyndes to brynge hym in to those costes, from whens he may brynge home that myserable trafike, wheron he wil consume al his study & wyt. 1560 in R. G. Marsden (1897) II. 119 In which shipps there be any merchaundizes or traffick apperteining to the ennemies. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta iv. xxii. 271 The Cacao..is so much esteemed amongest the Indians (yea and among the Spaniards) that it is one of the richest and the greatest traffickes of new Spaine. 1716 J. Gay ii. 22 You'll see a draggled Damsel, here and there, From Billingsgate her fishy Traffic bear. 1778 R. Lowth xxiii. 18 Her traffic and her gain, shall be holy to Jehovah: It shall not be treasured, nor shall it be kept in store. society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > [noun] > equipment for a journey > baggage 1538 T. Elyot Impedimenta, is the caryage and trafyke, that goth with the hooste. 1539 R. Morison tr. Frontinus iv. i. sig. Liiii Caius Marius, somewhat to ease the armie in carieng their traficke and baggage.., deuysed their vessels and vittayles into fardels laide vpon staues. 1548 f. liijv In the myddle parte of the armye he appoynted the trafficke and cariage apperteignynge to the armye. society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > prostitution > [noun] > a prostitute 1590 R. Greene i. 10 As soone as Diomede begins to court, she [sc. Cressyda] like Venetian traffique is for his penny.] 1591 R. Greene f. 9v These traffickes (these common trulles I meane) walke abroad. 1608 T. Dekker sig. H2v The whore is then called the Traffique. the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [noun] > that which is unimportant > worthless 1828 W. Carr (ed. 2) Traffick, lumber, trash. ‘There wor a deal of oud traffick to sell’... Rabble, low, rascally people, the canaille. 1869 J. C. Atkinson Traffic, (1) lumber, rubbish. (2) Rabble, low, rascally people. 1899 E. W. Prevost (new ed.) 244/2 Traffic, lumber, useless things. 1934 2 Feb. He cam' til a shop 'at they get a' 'at trifikes for bicycles. II. Senses relating to the passage of vehicles, people, information, etc., to and fro along a route. 7. society > travel > [noun] > travelling to and fro > of people or vehicles society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] 1735 J. Kirby Ded. sig. A2 At first I only propos'd to my self..to Survey the Roads of the most considerable Traffic issuing from Ipswich, Bury St. Edmund's and other considerable Towns in the County. 1767 11 To support the foregoing Argument for removing the Gate, drawn from the Increase of Traffic upon the Road South of Godalming. 1832 H. Martineau ix He sauntered along the pier, around which there was no busy traffic. 1886 C. E. Pascoe (ed. 3) xxvi. 239 The traffic of omnibuses, cabs, carriages, and carts at this point is greater and more confusing than in any other part of London. 1935 C. G. Burge 136/1 The cheaper way at intermediate towns or where traffic is light, is to assemble the passengers at a central point, and deal with them at the airport. 1974 J. A. Foster in G. P. Howard 5 The data to be collected should not only cover the physical facilities of the airport, but should also indicate the degree of utilization, the volume and composition of traffic, [etc.]. 1983 July 131/2 You may need to replace the carpet on the bottom stair or two if it takes a lot of traffic. 2012 N. N. Taleb v. xviii. 274 If you have 90,000 cars for one hour, then 110,000 cars for another hour, traffic would be much slower than if you had 100,000 cars for two hours. society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > [noun] > vehicles passing to and fro 1876 1 Dec. 6/5 Chapel-street (crowded by coal carts and other heavy traffic). 1911 E. H. Hodgkinson viii. 107 He should hear the traffic coming behind him. 1982 S. Spender 104 There was only one line of traffic in each direction. 2018 (Nexis) 26 Oct. 1 a Los Angelenos spent an average of 102 hours stuck in traffic last year. society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > racer > collectively 1948 10 Mar. (Final ed.) ii. 2/7 Pat Baker, a great football player, is another regular and husky enough to make his presence felt, especially in the tight traffic around the basket. 1977 16 May 42/3 Jockey Jean Cruguet drove him deftly through tight traffic, then settled into a rousing back-stretch struggle with For the Moment. 1987 Oct. 21/1 Off the line it was Bogan, Blair and Yeates who got the jump on pole man Wall, slow away and caught up in the traffic. 2018 7 Mar. 1 c Coleman watched the smooth 9-year-old finish a play in traffic during a game at Roberts Park Community Center. 8. society > travel > rail travel > [noun] > conveyance by rail or train > quantity or number carried by train 1832 Minutes of Evid. before Lords Comm. Bill for making Railway London to Birmingham 180 in (H.L. 181) CCCXI. 1 Coach Traffic..£246,916 16s. 0d. 1883 30 Nov. 5/2 It is obviously advisable that all the railways should adopt the same course, otherwise comparisons of traffic will become even more misleading than they are now. 1908 8 Feb. 150/1 What we call the coaching traffic is practically all the traffic carried by passenger trains. 1975 (U.S. Govt. Printing Office) 116 208 Messick transported 70,000, 98,000, 30,000, 139,025, and 93,417 pounds of traffic to Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, respectively. 1987 M. R. Bonavia x. 95 The statements listed the traffics for which each form of transport was considered to be ‘specially suitable and efficient’. 2017 N. K. Taneja iii. 40 In less than ten years the traffic transported by the new LCCs had more than doubled the traffic transported by the existing incumbent carriers in domestic markets. 1849 1 Mar. 4/1 The half-year's traffics shows [sic] a small but progressive increase. 1885 21 Nov. 5/2 Traffics are still decreasing, and this fact is all the more discouraging from the fact that the comparison is with decreased traffics. 1905 28 Sept. 9/1 Satisfaction is again expressed with this week's batch of Home Railway traffics. 1953 9 Feb. 2/5 To avoid giving stockholders nasty shocks, the weekly traffics are being converted at the more realistic Chilean remittance rate. society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > [noun] > carriage of goods, etc. society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > [noun] > carriage of goods, etc. > in wheeled vehicle > by rail > types of 1887 22 Sept. 1/3 When the local traffics are made to conform with the letter of the law..they will be unreasonable. 1899 14 Mar. 9/1 The Grand Trunk Railway unconditionally withdrew the local traffics of January 6th, and agreed for the present to revert to former rates. 1988 M. J. Freeman & D. H. Aldcroft Introd. 25 Some railway managers went so far as to claim that the volume traffics of the import/export business were vital to supporting the rates that prevailed on home goods. society > communication > telecommunication > [noun] > volume of transmissions 1860 2 Together securing to the National Telegraph Company advantages in the capacity to produce traffic, and profit 100 per cent. over any of the competing companies now existing. 1889 15 Oct. 476/2 A Pacific Cable... The line..would find traffic enough to pay a fair interest on the investment. 1922 W. F. Friedman in 1 Oct. 15 In modern military operations, a considerable volume of traffic is available for interception by the enemy. 1984 J. Dunlop & D. G. Smith x. 298 The amount of telephone traffic passing through a particular exchange depends on several factors. 1986 21 Nov. 16 The construction of digital telecommunications ‘highways’, using hair-thin fibre optic cables capable of simultaneously carrying voice and data traffic. 2008 Apr. 156/2 Once a call has been initiated, traffic is sent peer-to-peer between the two endpoint devices, rather than through an exchange. society > travel > [noun] > travelling to and fro > of people or vehicles > time of most intense > traffic management 1898 22 Feb. 13/5 In America..what with us is a single department is split into ‘traffic’ and ‘operation’. 1983 ‘D. Shannon’ (1984) iii. 49 He called down to Traffic—they would have the records of what went on in all the beats in Central Division. 2013 V. McDermid xxxiii. 228 We should ask Traffic how you could find out where the camera blind spots are. 11. 1940 R. W. Gerard ix. 244 Cell size could not increase very far without jamming the metabolism, for the surface always constitutes a bottle-neck to chemical traffic. 1960 46 998 Considerations analogous to those given in the foregoing to the selective intake of materials by the cell from its environment would, of course, apply to traffic in the reverse direction, i.e., the selective extrusion of products from cells. 1991 M. G. Farquhar in C. J. Steer & J. A. Hanover xiii. 431 It [sc. the Golgi complex]..must sort all this protein traffic and direct it to its correct intracellular or cell surface destination. 2017 @clathrin 7 June in twitter.com (accessed 11 Nov. 2019) Postdoc position in my lab. Great cell biology project looking at membrane traffic, cell migration and cancer. 1960 A. A. Moscona in 49 There is a continuous two-way cellular traffic across these bridges and exchange of cells by aggregates, which may be contributory to the sorting-out and grouping effects to be mentioned later. 1971 3 923/1 The traffic of cells from the bone marrow via the thymus to lymph nodes has been demonstrated. 2011 (Royal Soc.) B. 366 3397/2 Leucocyte traffic in the blood is needed for immune surveillance of the body. Phrasessociety > trade and finance > trading conditions > [phrase] > as much as trade will bear 1867 Royal Comm. Railways: Minutes of Evid. 1865–6 733/1 in (Cd. 3844-I) XXXVIII. 127 They [sc. railway companies] quote you a rate without reference to the items of which it is composed, and entirely without reference to their Acts of Parliament, what they think, as the phrase is, the traffic will bear. I have said there ‘what they can get out of it’. 1888 25 Oct. 1280/2 The bridge between the original producer and the final consumer may be long or short, and the person who carries the ‘projuice’ over it may be an extortioner, but..he cannot get any more than the traffic will bear. 1931 L. Steffens v. ii. 853 His wage-earners had their rents raised to all the traffic would bear. 1936 L. C. Douglas vii. 155 We've had all the worry about you that the traffic will stand. 1982 T. Fitzgibbon i. v. 32 The small neighbourhood shops were..willing to give credit up to a pound, but no more. They knew to a penny what the traffic would bear. 2007 (Nexis) 30 May The old rule of commerce is that a seller may charge as much as the traffic will bear. 1907 19 July 11/8 His smile halts traffic... The police rounded up a dozen peddlers who help to congest the New York entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge... ‘This fellow is the worst of the lot; his queer grin makes people stop to look at him.’] 1927 H. C. Witwer 12 Blanche is a cutey, which stops traffic every time she goes downtown for a walk. 1934 5 Mar. 38/3 A typical town outfit of his is single breasted gray mixture suit,..white pocket handkerchief, and black shoes. Nothing to stop traffic with, but smart. 2000 18 Jan. 107/2 You see that ass on her? Talk about stopping traffic. 1953 R. Llewellyn xxxi. 292 Alice,..would you please sit down, get drunk, get lost, go play in the traffic or sompn? You're spoilin' a good party. 1995 M. Amis (2008) 66 Go elsewhere, Marco. Go and play in the traffic. I'm trying to work. 1996 25 Aug. (Review section) 10/7 ‘I hate them [sc. chips], they're big and fat and ugly.’ ‘Tush, child,’ I chided her. ‘Go and play in traffic.’ 2009 (Nexis) 1 Apr. My Ma always told me, ‘Ah, go play in traffic.’ Compounds C1. a. As a modifier. 1590 R. Greene tr. O. Rinaldi Ep. Ded. sig. iii Merchaunts wyth theyr freendes and traffique fellowes. 1659 F. Howgill 38 And thus, Reader, I have led thee through many things, from the rise of the Whore, and through the most of her merchants, and through the most of her traffique merchants, of divers orders and ranks; but I find them all to trade with nothing but Inchantments and Sorceries. 1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews ix. i. in tr. Josephus 274 He joined with him in the building of ships that were to sail to Pontus, and the traffick-cities of Thrace. 1898 G. Meredith 46 Their traffic instincts hooded their live wits To issues. 1979 94 855 For the Merchants Adventurers their ancient traffic route through Antwerp continued to present a means of access to their major cloth-market in central Europe. ?1832 P. Lecount (title) General results of the traffic returns, &c. between London and Birmingham for one year. 1850 2 Mar. 154/3 The question before the meeting was not the traffic value of the line between Askerne and York. 1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge ix, in 23 Jan. 103/1 They..entered..by the back way or traffic entrance. 1922 Dec. 165/2 The promptness with which the traffic stream is stopped. 1930 c. 43 §62 The Minister may..vary the provisions.., either by altering the limits of any existing traffic area or by increasing or reducing the number of traffic areas. 1940 R. S. Lambert vi. 146 Broadcasting House..is responsible for a big inward and outward traffic flow; yet there is nowhere to park a car. 1971 ‘G. Black’ vii. 112 I..paused to listen, hearing nothing but traffic noises. 1981 H. R. F. Keating xiii. 155 The monster car, slipping easily from one traffic stream to another. 2006 22 Feb. 10/5 Schools have been urged to stagger their start times to avoid traffic congestion. 1868 4 Dec. 2/6 It [sc. the Board of Trade] has only just now given us returns of the traffic accidents, &c., for the year 1867. 1936 20 June 399/1 Better highway construction..is one very tangible and constructive way traffic deaths and accidents can be decreased. 1957 21 Sept. 120/1 Traffic fatalities have brought demands for effective driver training. 1991 Nov. 8/3 STV would be the design basis for streets lit primarily for the purpose of improving traffic safety. 2011 (National ed.) 2 Jan. (Front section) 14/5 A decade ago..no one predicted that cellphones and text messaging would lead to traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers. 1837 Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock & Ayr Railway Bill: Minutes of Evid. 110 in (H.L. 146.1) XVIII. 1 I furnished them regularly with the Duplicates of the Traffic-takers. 1857 Oct. 449/2 The traffic management of the Irish railways. 1862 A. Helps 30 A skilful traffic-manager has been suffered to be too despotic in matters of traffic. 1901 22 June 540/1 One sight amazes him..the effect produced when the traffic-regulating policeman raises his hand. 1969 22 285 Traffic routing..may be thought to introduce a new situation. 1992 June 99/3 The unattended radar or red-light camera could easily have the single lens reflex camera replaced by a video camera, allowing real-time traffic monitoring from a central location. 2002 Apr. 380 Saperstein conceived the idea for a new kind of traffic-reporting service while he was stuck in a bumper-to-bumper jam on a Baltimore expressway. 2006 13 Nov. 44/2 And numerous allies in city government whom the staff lobbies to enact bike-friendly legislation and other traffic-reducing measures. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [adjective] > traffic-jam 1838 D. Page 53 A long caravan Of traffic-laden camels. 1864 8 Dec. To open up new roads through the traffic-choked city. 1959 P. Bull ix. 164 I arrived at dusk in Casablanca and was driven at breakneck speed to Marrakesh along a traffic-crammed road, stiff with the results of accidents. 1971 A. Burgess iii. 28 Before she could protest, she was..borne at top speed through the traffic-filled streets of Kobe. 2000 Nov. 10/4 Today's traffic-congested streets require machines with smaller footprints to take up less space or close fewer lanes. C2. See also traffic light n.the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > code, cipher > decoding, deciphering > [noun] > analysis of transmission 1874 9 Feb. 7/2 The traffic analysis shows an increase of money, under every head, amounting in the aggregate to £17,671. 1937 (Naval Cryptologic Veterans Assoc.) (1982) 29 Information is obtained from communications by..methods short of cryptanalysis, i.e., traffic analysis. 1956 H. H. Goode et al. in 35 548/2 The results of the present paper demonstrate further the feasibility of the development of the computer model as a powerful tool for traffic analysis. 2016 1 99 Widely used for underground communication, The Onion Router (Tor) is free software designed to protect the privacy of its users by obscuring traffic analysis, greatly complicating network surveillance. the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > code, cipher > decoding, deciphering > [noun] > one who decodes > transmission patterns 1919 12 July 75/1 A few of the points the traffic analyst looks for are: 1. Fitting the Service to the Traffic... 2. More Efficient Routing [etc.]. 1979 W. J. Holmes iii. 18 Traffic intelligence summaries were produced each day by two traffic analysts. 2007 X. Hong & J. Kong in Y. Xiao viii. 162 Simple encryption of routing information can stop less sophisticated eavesdroppers, but not traffic analysts. society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [noun] > main or major road 1845 27 Dec. Sinking other questions, such as the false route it takes, its alienation from the true traffic artery of the county,..the line was thrust out of Parliament, and is resisted by the county. 1969 13 Mar. 560/1 These additional costs of assimilating a traffic artery into an existing urban area are themselves a massive community burden. 2019 (Nexis) 12 July (First ed.) a2 Crews were expected to resume repairs that have paralyzed the intersection of two major traffic arteries since Monday. 1872 5 Oct. 1264/1 Complaints from ordinary protests against delays of an hour or two, or of chronic traffic blocks, have passed to an endeavour to stimulate the chief officers of the companies to a sense of their responsibilities..in the ordinary working of the lines. 1904 17 Feb. 7/2 Traffic blocks are almost unknown. 2018 (Nexis) 7 July (Pune ed.) The roads along the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani route experienced traffic blocks due to overflowing of water and logging. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > road sign 1870 26 Aug. Some mischievous vagabond pulled up one of the gateposts and traffic-board. 1885 1 Oct. 5/4 The proposed amended schedule of fares forwarded to the association by the Traffic Board. 2001 (Electronic ed.) 4 May 2 c/1 City transportation officials said they are updating the messages on the electronic traffic boards more frequently to inform motorists of changes. 2001 (Nexis) 10 Aug. It [sc. speeding] is a regular topic that comes before the traffic board. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control 1987 29 We also have very limited research on how traffic calming does affect house prices, rents and retailing in such areas. 1988 19 Dec. 17/3 The introduction of the ‘traffic-calming’ techniques now widely practised on the Continent. 2019 (Nexis) 20 June 5 17 Brisbane suburbs received more than $1 million for projects like traffic calming, intersection upgrades, minor and major roadworks and road resurfacing projects. 1939 12 Aug. 1/4 Pictures from a new traffic camera..showed the tag numbers of the speeding automobiles. 1977 23 June 809/3 An uneventful march from Speakers' Corner to a rally in Trafalgar Square. No one who took part that day was ever out of sight of one or more of the scores of so-called traffic cameras that blanket central London and, on these occasions, are connected to the Operations Room [at Scotland Yard]. 2019 (Nexis) 31 Oct. 1 The intersection at Todds Lane and Whealton is not monitored by traffic cameras. society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > junction of roads, paths, or tracks > [noun] > types of road junction > roundabout 1914 6 Sept. vi. 8/5 Vehicles coming east through Fifty-seventh Street will bear to the right and swing around into the traffic circle which has the isle of safety for its centre. 1970 28 Feb. 7/5 When South Africans say ‘traffic circle’ for the Englishman's ‘roundabout’, they give precision to the language. 2019 (Nexis) 12 July Truck traffic was being diverted at the intersection of Route 73 and at the traffic circle of Moselem Springs Road. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > cone or bollard 1949 28 Jan. (Home ed.) 5/1 The street department has purchased 12 rubber traffic cones for testing in marking areas under repair or being painted. 2019 (Nexis) 11 July 3 He hit the traffic cone, which had been knocked into the road by a passing car. 1927 10 Sept. 34/6 Officials of the Canadian Good Roads association agree..that all car drivers must become ‘traffic conscious’. That is, they must realize that the question of the safety of the highways, in the final analysis, is altogether in their own hands. 1979 G. N. Knight xiii. 176 An entry such as ‘London, its happiness before the invention of Coaches and Chairs’ induces a wry smile in our traffic-conscious age. 2014 (Nexis) 7 Mar. Traffic-conscious pupils are getting behind the handlebars of their own bikes and riding to school. 1925 18 Oct. (Sports, Financial, Real Estate, Classified section) 8/5 The entire nation is awakening to a new traffic consciousness. Antiquated ideas in regulation are giving way to more systematic and logical methods. 2013 @indranil01 26 Dec. in twitter.com (accessed 18 May 2020) @thekiranbedi can you initiate a drive to improve traffic consciousness in Delhi? It would reduce corruption, congestion and accidents. 1867 6 June 3/4 (table) Sergeants and traffic constables. 1930 8 Sept. 9/7 A traffic constable commandeered a passing car and gave chase. 2019 (Nexis) 8 July Mysuru city police commissioner KT Balakrishna said that they did not have the numbers to post traffic constables near schools. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control 1884 24 Sept. 5/5 (heading) Vehicular traffic control.] 1885 24 July 5/1 The system of traffic control at present in force should be superseded by one better calculated to avert friction. 1938 33/1 Increasing volume of traffic forced the development of airport traffic control systems... Experiments in traffic control began almost 20 years ago (using signal lights). 1962 E. Snow (1963) lxxi. 548 How many policemen do you have in New York? Most of ours are for traffic control. 2019 (Nexis) 1 Oct. Watch for utility work at Garfield Road on Highway 19 northbound... The shoulder will be closed and watch for traffic control. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > person who controls traffic 1902 5 Mar. Any person who, in the opinion of the traffic controller, shall be causing an obstruction in the street, shall be guilty of an offence against the by-laws. 1930 25 July 106/3 Highfield automatic traffic controller... At present the three-light system appears to be most widely favoured. 1977 G. Markstein lxvii. 209 ‘Some big shot?’ asked the RAF squadron leader... ‘Guess so,’ said the traffic controller. 2006 27 Apr. 3/1 A senior policewoman..is under investigation for allegedly ignoring a traffic controller's directions. society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman > traffic policeman 1905 1 Mar. 1/2 If the traffic cops were coached up a little regarding the rules of the road,..the driving public would be exceedingly grateful. 1961 B. Crump 23 They..returned to the truck to find a traffic cop standing by it. 2018 85 1881 The costs of enforcing the fire hydrant law, such as traffic cops and towing. society > law > administration of justice > judicial body, assembly, or court > [noun] > courts with other specific jurisdictions 1896 2 Oct. 6/1 This they supposed constituted a violation of the interstate laws, and on that ground it was made amenable to that high traffic court. 1972 R. Hood v. 105 The remainder [sc. motoring offences] would be dealt with at Traffic Courts. 2019 (Nexis) 11 July Dubai Traffic Court ordered the driver be deported after serving his jail term. 1892 14 Sept. 9/3 The passenger traffic density (passengers carried one mile per mile of road) of Boston & Albany and Old Colony compare as follows.] 1898 13 Oct. 9/4 These statistics show results never before approached on any western line, and not equalled by many eastern lines of much greater traffic density. 1991 Sept. (verso front cover) (advt.) Blacktop roads..can be progressively strengthened to meet changing traffic densities. 2019 14 July Monorail projects are better suited to cities like Visakhapatnam because it has much lower traffic density when compared to cities like Hyderabad and Delhi. 1838 6 Nov. (advt.) A superintendent over the travelling and traffic department.] 1839 27 Sept. The management of the traffic department gives great satisfaction to the public. 2008 T. Vanderbilt (2009) vii. 186 ‘Children at Play’ signs have not been shown to reduce speeds or accidents, and most traffic departments will not put them up. 1853 14 Oct. Mr. G. E. Ilbery, traffic engineer, and Mr. Millar, chief engineer, were also present. 1903 3 Oct. 222/2 Malcolm C. Rorty, traffic engineer in the main office of the American Telephone Company. 1952 8 Apr. 17/6 The traffic engineers at the company's headquarters..forwarded the traffic requirements for the new toll switchboard to another group. 1978 126 425/1 Increasing the throughput of vehicles on an existing highway..is a field in which traffic engineers have notched up considerable successes as the demand has increased. 2004 M. Stafford xiv. 206 There is a well-established methodology that tells traffic engineers when and where to add capacity. 2019 (Nexis) 11 July We've worked with our traffic engineers and identified the need for it, and we are moving forward with the traffic signal project. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control 1908 3 Feb. 8/4 Traffic Engineering: Exchange or Local, Toll Lines, Tariffs. 1914 4 200 It treats of..traffic engineering matters, in great detail, including an estimate of present and future traffic by..direction of travel, and time of day. 2009 A. Nucci & K. Papagiannaki xiv. 290 From an ISP's perspective, traffic classification has always been a critical activity for several important management tasks, such as traffic engineering. 2019 (Nexis) 6 Sept. 6 Traffic engineering has..improved the road traffic markings and road traffic signage. 1912 J. R. Freeman 160i/1 The shorter and more traffic-free crossing between Dumbarton and Ravenswood. 1979 R. Perry viii. 137 Dieter was taken..towards Zurich along..relatively traffic-free roads. 2005 8 Aug. 19/2 Rome is hot in the summer, the traffic-free piazza an ideal place to kick back. 1885 25 Feb. 4/4 (heading) An electrical railway traffic indicator.] 1895 4 Jan. 11/3 There is an automatic, double acting, self-adjusting, and self-imposed traffic indicator in daily operation on the Alley Elevated of Chicago. 1907 20 Dec. 11/5 Traffic indicator for road vehicles. 1938 8 Oct. 5/5 A kind-hearted Derby man makes a point of switching off traffic indicators which careless motorists fail to turn off when leaving their cars parked. 1970 11 May (Plessey Times section) 1/1 A thousand traffic indicators displaying speed and lane-closure information. 2006 T. Rowe xvi. 234 My first ever car was old enough to have the little illuminated arm-type exterior traffic indicators. society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > parts of road > [noun] > portion for safety of pedestrians 1887 29 Oct. 1370/1 In the United States, outside of the kind of ‘traffic islands’ formed by the older-settled New England States, the proportion of local to ‘through’ traffic is extremely small. 1911 25 Nov. (Real Estate section) 13/5 (headline) Traffic islands in city's streets. 1982 ‘C. Aird’ x. 101 The driver negotiated the traffic islands with impatience. 2019 (Nexis) 22 Oct. Durham County Council added a new traffic island and dropped kerbs..to help pedestrians cross the road. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic jam 1891 17 Dec. 8/1 The five robbers had noticed that Creighton generally drove through Mather street to avoid the traffic jams on the large thoroughfares. 1917 I. Crump iii. 55 He plunged into the traffic jam at the next street. 1957 21 Dec. 1038/1 The Home Universities conference could hardly have chosen a more important subject for discussion last week than the traffic jam of students which piles up every summer when school leavers put in their bids for university places. 2019 29 Apr. (Nexis) (Goa section) Nearly 50 passengers..missed their flights out of Goa on Saturday evening, after getting stuck in a massive traffic jam between Cortalim and Agasaim. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [adjective] > traffic-jam 1907 15 Sept. 2 a/5 A non-engine stop run through the heart of London's traffic-jammed thoroughfares. 1964 1 Aug. 476/1 They sit traffic-jammed in the intractable streets. 1983 1 Sept. 16/1 I was still sitting in my traffic-jammed car five minutes later. 2019 (Nexis) 16 Oct. The more lanes you add to a traffic-jammed highway, the more cars will inevitably arrive to fill them. society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > parts of road > [noun] > part where vehicles run > part wide enough for one vehicle 1903 11 June A petition was tabled..asking that the traffic lane connecting the Horseshoe Bend ends of Norman and Musgrave streets be kept open. 1905 R. Kipling (1909) 150 You could not hoist the necessary N.U.C. lights on approaching a traffic-lane because your electrics had short-circuited. 1972 5 May 3 The Government is taking powers to prosecute masters of British ships caught travelling the wrong way in traffic lanes through the Straits of Dover. 2019 10 July Two lane closures on the bridge and its approaches are being upgraded, leaving only one traffic lane each way until completion. 1860 23 230 (table) Working expenses per Traffic mile. 1933 16 Apr. 23/1 Last year the cost to the public per 1000 traffic miles was about $11. 1937 12 Jan. 25/4 The heavy snowstorm..kept many automobiles off the streets..and thus kept low the accident-per-traffic-mile rate. 2017 (Nexis) 4 Aug. (Letters section) Most probably more traffic miles and associated fuel have been covered and consumed by a large fleet of spoil lorries than the whole of the traffic using the A21 in any year of construction. society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > specific offences > [noun] > offence by driver of motor vehicle 1875 18 June In view of the fact that 468 drivers were actually arrested for traffic offences, the penalities applied..seem to us quite insufficient. 1960 29 Jan. 23/4 A ‘ticket’ system of optional fixed fines for minor traffic offences. 2001 (Nexis) 20 Feb. 11 If a driver is banned for any type of traffic offence, the fine is nowadays, in the majority of cases, an irritation but easily payable. society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman > traffic policeman society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > person who controls traffic > traffic police or policeman 1852 14 Oct. 2/4 Many of the requisitionists.., and one of their traffic officers, have only recently become shareholders in this company. 1868 1 Feb. 3/1 The penalties were for the most part in merely nominal amounts, unless in cases wherein the defendants had abused the traffic officers. 1915 Oct. 5/1 Traffic officers in the center of the street are subjected to many hardships. 1930 16 Aug. 309/1 The traffic officers of individual lines have no confidence in each other. 2018 29 Mar. a4/5 The cameras will be tested mostly by patrol and traffic officers. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > characteristic distribution society > travel > air or space travel > specific movements or positions of aircraft > air as medium for operation of aircraft > [noun] > route through the air > normal pattern of 1930 1 June ix. 6 xx/3 A quarter of a century ago, when the motor vehicle was introduced into the traffic pattern. 1940 5 July 1/2 Rigid traffic patterns must be maintained in the air to avoid collisions between planes which are landing, taking-off and going through their aerial classes. 1977 2 Oct. xi. 14/3 But the ‘island’ arrangement—placing furniture in the middle of a room (if it's large enough), thereby leaving space to walk around it—is a good way to create a traffic pattern. 2012 (National ed.) 1 Nov. c5/1 This is not to say that new traffic patterns devised to steer drivers around the arena aren't creating problems. 2019 (Nexis) 25 May The agency says the taxiway will enhance safety by allowing new traffic patterns for the private, commercial, and glider pilots who use the airport. society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > branch or part of police force > specific society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > person who controls traffic > traffic police or policeman 1883 B. V. Shaw 46 The control of Street and Traffic Police. 1959 3 Jan. 6/3 He also disliked anything that gave traffic police more discretion or wider powers. 2011 (Nexis) 9 Feb. The traffic police admit that drunken driving is a cause of worry on Goan roads. 1897 26 Feb. 3/3 The cabmen and the private coachmen are just as emphatic in their condemnation, and the traffic policemen are on the same side. 1940 W. H. Auden 91 Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. 2019 (Nexis) 20 June (Mumbai section) The traffic policeman is the first point of contact that motorists have with the authority. the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > temperament > [adjective] > obedient or well-trained > safe in traffic 1899 11 Dec. 5/6 (headline) Frere Bridge traffic proof. 1931 9 Jan. 4/4 (advt.) Both are Irish, up to weight, good hunters, snaffle mouths, both saddles, traffic proof. 1977 14 Jan. 40/4 (advt.) Gelding..Viceless, traffic proof. 2014 (Nexis) 22 Feb. t14 Metro systems are efficient and traffic-proof. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [verb (transitive)] > training horses in specific ways 1922 (Amer. Automobile Assoc.) ii. 287 Some of the gravel roads in parts of New England have been traffic-proofed to such an extent that three thousand automobiles a day or more are carried over gravel roads that previously became intolerable under a traffic of as many hundred vehicles. 1971 Mar. 347/1 A few months ago I was given the task of traffic-proofing a pony. 2011 @techsavvyed 11 June in twitter.com (accessed 14 Nov. 2019) Hopefully, I just traffic proofed my WP blog. 1844 12 Oct. Mr. Hall said he had been informed yesterday that the gentlemen whom he represented would give the Potteries a fair traffic rate. 1920 17 Oct. iii. 1/2 Over the Manhattan spans the daily traffic rate is 20,214 motor vehicles. 1958 1 July 5/4 The State owned railways..ignored Mr Naudé's ‘increased productivity’ stipulation by passing on the [wage] increases in the form of higher traffic rates. 2014 48 501/2 Traffic rates were recorded with a pneumatically activated traffic counter. 1840 31 July Eastern Counties' Railway. Comparative statement of Traffic-Receipts of the last week with those of the corresponding week, 1839. 1902 5 Apr. 10/1 There has been a very material decline in the traffic receipts though the mileage run has been practically the same. 2008 A. Smith 44 The anticipated traffic receipts did not materialize due to the drastic reductions in crossborder trade that began in 1860. ?1832 P. Lecount (title) General results of the traffic returns, &c. between London and Birmingham for one year. 1912 19 Dec. 16/5 Canadian Pacific Railway shares opened above parity on the satisfactory traffic return. 2011 64 814 Contributions to joint lines set up by two or more companies where they made separate traffic returns. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > road sign 1908 48 Iron traffic signs on heavy bases and uprights have been adopted, to be placed at locations where vehicular traffic is diverted, and to indicate to drivers the direction of traffic. 1973 J. Wainwright 42 McGuire threaded the Jag. through the city streets. He obeyed every traffic sign. 2019 (Nexis) 17 Feb. Drivers are urged to be alert, drive at low speed, keep safety distances from other vehicles and comply with traffic signs. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > traffic lights 1893 22 Dec. ‘Gee’ and ‘Haw’ meant as much to transportation then as the modern traffic signals of today. 1908 26 June 4/6 (heading) Automatic Traffic Signals. 1981 ‘J. Ross’ x. 57 A traffic signal which turned red as he approached it. 2019 (Nexis) 26 June Williams was charged with..using a false marker plate, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, and failure to obey traffic signals. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic jam 1899 18 June 22/7 Strong and skillful men are busily at work trying to untangle bituminous traffic snarls. 1905 28 Mar. 4/2 Blockades have been common and the traffic snarls were many. 2005 4 May 39/7 Telework offered the chance to prevent traffic snarls and ease the current skills shortage. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic jam 1947 2 Oct. 17/1 Drivers..may find themselves involved in a traffic snarlup which may take hours to untangle. 1976 6 Nov. 1/8 We hear complaints on all sides about traffic snarl-ups making people late for work. 2009 J. Beattiey 346 They'd travel up on the Sunday morning to avoid any traffic snarl-ups. 1903 1 Jan. 2/4 For the enforcement of these ordinances there should be a trained police squad to be known as the street traffic squad.] 1904 24 Sept. 16/2 While endeavoring to regulate traffic in Park Row yesterday afternoon by attempting to start a balky horse Roundsman Howard, of the traffic squad, was run into by the horse and the animal on which he was riding was killed. 2019 (Nexis) 25 Nov. gt1 The board approved the reinstatement of a new traffic squad on Thursday. 1947 15 Dec. 66/2 Long range search radar..is of great assistance in locating lost planes, checking locations of traffic stacks and supplementing GCA in emergencies. 1963 L. Deighton lii. 219 It's the Seville Traffic Control Zone... If it [sc. a plane] gets mixed into that traffic stack I'm not sure that I'll be able to sort it out. 1919 20 Mar. 7/2 (advt.) These shirts are colorful..but not ‘traffic stoppers’..; simply swell for summer. 2006 A. Bibb 50 She was blessed with hair of the most beautiful shade of red... She was a traffic stopper. 1916 15 July i. 4/3 He'll be able to buy some traffic-stopping neckties. 2009 E. L. Harris iv. 40 She still saw herself as a traffic-stopping beauty with big doe-brown eyes and long, thick lashes. 1837 Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock & Ayr Railway Bill: Minutes of Evid. 110 in (H.L. 146.1) XVIII. 1 I furnished them regularly with the Duplicates of the Traffic-takers. 1988 P. S. Bagwell (2003) iv. 82 These were the days of the ‘traffic takers’, employed by the promoters of new railways, to discover the potential traffic of the district through which the intended line would pass. 2010 (Nexis) 12 Apr. 32 The Victorian traffic-takers turned out to be no more independent than Wall Street analysts of the internet age. society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > notification > of traffic offence 1880 25 Oct. 2/2 (advt.) Ordinary Traffic Tickets, available for any part of the Line. 1919 10 Oct. 19/5 Commissioner Harriss's proposed traffic ticket ordinance. 1950 J. D. MacDonald iii. 31 Every time you get into that car of yours, you'll get a traffic ticket. 2015 (Nexis) 6 July (Editorial section) a10 Today, if you are given a traffic ticket by a police officer in Ontario, you have the option of fighting it in court. society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > specific offences > [noun] > offence by driver of motor vehicle 1905 30 Mar. 2/6 (heading) Fined for traffic violation. 2017 Aug. 17/1 Folks with either no criminal conviction..or convictions only for minor offenses such as traffic violations or driving under the influence. society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > officials attached to police force society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [noun] > traffic control > person who controls traffic > traffic warden 1928 30 May 2/5 The Sub-Committee recommended that the Standing Joint Committee should sanction the engagement of twenty temporary policemen as traffic wardens during the summer. 1959 25 Feb. 274/1 Any supposed similarity of function between the police and the newly-proposed traffic wardens vanished with the official statement that the wardens ‘would help motorists to find parking space’. 2019 (Nexis) 18 July ‘When we have deliveries there is nowhere for them to park,’ she said. ‘It seems like there is an army of traffic wardens waiting to pounce.’ Derivatives 1783 12–15 Apr. He added, that all Europe laughed at the constant traffical exchange of the Lord Lieutenants of that kingdom. 1872 B. Haughton 14 The traffical necessities of the various manufacturing and commercial centres of the land. 1905 A. Warrack in VI. 215/2 This is a traffical road. 1999 V. B. Andersen in T. Alten et al. II. 470/1 A delicate and difficult traffical situation at one of the entrance areas. 2016 Roymandude 4 Oct. in twitter.com (accessed 16 July 2020) So who else was feeling this less busy less traffical day? society > travel > travel by water > [adjective] > navigable > navigated or frequented by shipping a1628 F. Greville (1651) ix. 107 Her traffiquefull, & navigable river. 1846 20 June 396/2 Nothing but the hardest stone will do for the paving of this trafficful city! 2019 @Azure_Husky 11 Oct. in twitter.com (accessed 25 Oct. 2019) Throwing last things in my bags and then time for a (likely) trafficful drive to Ottawa. society > morality > moral evil > lack of principle or integrity > [noun] > dishonesty > action 1838 in S. T. Coleridge III. 387 This indiscreet traffickery [2000 Marginalia Trafficking] with Romish wares. 1954 A. Wainhouse i. 38 Against this setting one discovers a luxurious traffickery; assignations are concluded, it's the rendez-vous of Europe's most notorious sodomists and their agents. 1844 N. P. Willis in 11 May 90/1 The head-quarters of Washington are tenanted by a piano-forte builder, and all around looks trafficky and dull. 1918 19 Jan. 1/4 The cold-blooded toad my war-bag throwed in the trafficky road. 1974 J. Hersey in 16 Dec. 54/3 He sits up very straight, and his car shoots away into the trafficky night. 2010 10 Jan. 22/1 And then there's what you're missing by skipping the office: the trafficky commute, the petroleum-based slacks. society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > street > [adjective] > devoid of traffic society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [adjective] > frequented by travellers or traffic > not 1844 15 May 6/3 The designers of traffickless railroads. 1989 T. Parker i. 3 Viewed from a stance in the middle of the midday trafficless Main Street, the road to the north disappeared in a straight unbroken line off over the horizon. 2009 (Nexis) 11 Aug. a4 The excitement of happy people swinging along a trafficless four-block midway. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022). trafficadj. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion; probably modelled on a Tagalog lexical item. Etymon: traffic n. Etymology: < traffic n., probably after Tagalog trapik, traffic, use as adjective of trapik , traffic traffic n. Philippine English. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > vehicular traffic > [adjective] > traffic-jam 1997 55 Lately, in informal Philippine English,..nouns have taken on functions as adjectives: traffic as in ‘Sorry I'm late; it was so traffic’. 2004 (Univ. Philippines) 7 28 It's traffic in southbound Manila because of the pilgrimage made to Baclaran Church on this day. 2019 @davidg0411 25 Oct. in twitter.com (accessed 4 Nov. 2019) Why is it very traffic now in EDSA? This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022). trafficv. Inflections: Present participle trafficking; past tense and past participle trafficked; Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French trafiquer. Etymology: < Middle French traffiquer, trafficquer, traficquer, traphiquer, Middle French, French trafiquer to trade (1441 as traffiguer ), to have dealings with a person (a1466; 1579 with reference to illicit sexual relations), to carry out intrigues (1470), to buy or sell (goods) (1545), to undertake commercial travel on (a river) (1631) < Italian trafficare , (regional: northern) traffigare to sell (goods) (14th cent.; also frequently with negative connotations), to trade (mid 14th cent.), probably < Catalan trafegar to decant (14th cent.), further etymology uncertain, probably < an unattested post-classical Latin form *transfaecare < classical Latin trans- trans- prefix + faec- , faex dregs (see faeces n.); see note. Compare earlier traffic n.Compare Spanish trasegar to decant (1495 as trassegar ; also †trasfegar ), (reborrowed < Italian) traficar to trade (late 16th cent.), and (all in the sense ‘to trade’) Portuguese trafegar (1365 as traffegar ), traficar (1789; reborrowed < Italian), and (probably < Italian) post-classical Latin traffigare (1380), traficare (1429; 1554 in a British source). Further etymology. Besides post-classical Latin *transfaecare , other (formally and semantically less likely) etymons have also been suggested, e.g. an unattested post-classical Latin form *transfricare ( < classical Latin trans- trans- prefix + fricāre to rub: see fricative adj.). Classical Latin transfigere (see transfix v.) is not viable as an etymon on both formal and semantic grounds. Former suggestions of an Arabic etymon (compare Arabic taraffaqa to derive benefit from (something), tafrīq partition, differentiation, distribution) lack any supporting evidence; the similarity of the Romance words to these Arabic words is coincidental. For a detailed discussion of the various senses in the Romance languages and the further etymology, see Y. Malkiel ‘La etimología de español tras-[h]egar 'transvasar', italiano trafficare 'comerciar': un nuevo balance’ in Medioevo romanzo (1985) 10 305–38. Borrowing of the Italian verb from Catalan is plausible in light of the close political links e.g. between Catalonia and Sardinia in the Middle Ages and early modern period. Moreover, the Italian verb has more general senses not exclusively relating to trade, which are attested from an early date. Specific forms. The Older Scots forms in -ct are reverse spellings reflecting 15th-cent. loss of /t/ after /k/ in other words (e.g. direct v.). Specific senses. In the specific uses in cell biology (see senses 7a and 7b) respectively after traffic n. 11b and traffic n. 11a. I. Senses relating to trading or having dealings with others. 1. society > trade and finance > [verb (intransitive)] 1537 tr. sig. A.vv Romayne byshops haue nothynge to doo with englysshe people, the one dothe not trafycke with thother, at the leste, thoughe they wyll haue to doo with vs, yet we wolle none of their marchaundyse, none of theyr stuffe. 1540 King Henry VIII in (1849) VIII. 227 The Inglishe merchantes that trafique in your contrys off Spayne. 1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay iv. xi. f. 123v Vnto the ports..come to traffick, the merchants of Cambaia. a1623 H. Spelman Relation Virginia in J. Smith (1884) p. civ Powhatan..caried our English to their storehouse where their corne was to traffique with them. 1632 (ed. 2) iv. xiv. 339 The Seas, at that time so sorely infested with pirats, that the Merchants ships could not trafficke in safety. 1699 S. Tomlyns 89 Men will not traffick and trade with Christ,..they will not be Christ's Chapmen and his Customers. 1773 J. Hawkesworth II. i. ix. 93 They trafficked with us for cocoa-nuts and other fruit. 1825 T. Roscoe tr. G. B. Giraldi in II. 165 There was a Greek merchant..who having trafficked in various parts of Italy, at length settled in Mantua. 1893 T. B. Strange i. xxvii. 292 The Kooloomen and the Tartars from Thibet..come to traffic at the foot of the Bara Lacha Pass. 1971 A. M. Gibson vi. 144 They hunted and gathered furs and trafficked with the Quapaws and other tribes for their pelts. 1990 M. Lagro & D. Plotkin ii. 11 The number of traders appears to have declined as older traders who had been trafficking for many years have dropped out. society > occupation and work > business affairs > [verb (intransitive)] 1560 24 Mar. (single sheet) (verso) They shall..permit them to traffique al trades of marchaundise within this realme. 1588 R. Parke tr. J. G. de Mendoza 70 Whosoeuer will go from one prouince to another within the said kingdome, to traficke in buying and selling, shall giue suerties to returne. 1609 W. M. sig. E You haue long traffickt in a wicked and vnlawfull trade. 1661 A. Brome 161 Judge then (my friend) how far I am unfit To traffick with thee, in the trade of Wit, How Banck-rupt I am grown of all commerce. 1794 S. T. Coleridge (1956) I. 128 Tongue, that traffick'd in the Trade of Praise! 1915 10 May b5/5 Violating the right of neutrals, to traffic in legitimate trade. 1968 T. H. Watkins i. vi. 14 The girls trafficking in this trade [i.e. prostitution] represented as cosmopolitan a spectrum as you might find anywhere. 2. a. 1550 T. Nicolls tr. Thucydides v. v. f. cxxxv Durynge all the same somer the Athenyanes and the Peloponesians vsed and traffiqued merchandises togiders. 1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara iii. xxvi. f. 196/2 Yu shuldest forsake ye warre, & traffique marchaundise. 1601 R. Dolman tr. P. de la Primaudaye III. 314 The barke..is sold very deere to such strangers as trafficke therein. 1629 E. W. tr. L. Richeome 305 We be not Pilgrims as you are,..our estate is to trafique in merchandise. 1641 H. Robinson 1 Their trade consists onely in fishing on our Coast, manufactures and trafficking forraine commodities to and fro. 1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc i. ix. 26 They make stuffs so fine they look like white linnen, which they traffick in, and sell at dear rates. 1740 J. Fransham I. 208 The River is often crowded with Ships from various Nations; the Merchandizes imported, are traffick'd to Poland, Lithuania, &c. 1773 D. Henry III. 215 Beads were trafficked this day for every thing. 1819 Oct. 348 The coasting trade..consists of domestic produce, viz. salt, pork, beef, flour, corn, butter, cheese, lard, whiskey, &c. which are trafficked for cider, apples, fish, &c. 1874 64/1 He trafficked in horses and mules, and..added to his prosperity. 1975 G. D. Ramsay ii. 41 The merchants trafficking in cloths to Antwerp were in mid-sixteenth century the effective masters of London. 2014 R. McLaughlin iii. 28 Arabia was a leading participant in the ancient economy because it produced and trafficked large amounts of valuable incense. 1826 in R. A. Humphreys (1940) vi. 205 Foreign merchandizes trafficking without the documents prescribed..are subject to the penalty of confiscation. 1844 13 May The amount of goods trafficking to and from Edinburgh, within the last two years, has been 110,000 tons. 2007 R. Kluger i. 46 The requirement that all goods trafficking to and from the British colonies be carried on British-flag vessels. 1817 6 Mar. It is made a felony, subject to 14 years' transportation, for any person to be trafficking in Slaves. 1877 tr. in Italy. No. 1: Corr. Introd. & Employm. Ital. Children 2 in (C. 1764) LXXXVIII. 515 The countries where the persons who traffic in these children take refuge, and carry on almost with impunity their shameful industry. 1933 G. M. Hall ii. 82 There is a diminution of the number of women trafficked into South America..though there is still a large number of women..who have practised prostitution in those countries. 1977 16 May 1/1 A nationwide homosexual ring..has been trafficking in young boys, sending them across the nation to serve clients. 1997 26 May 3/1 Dublin is now one of the main destinations offered by an international network of gangs trafficking in people. 2016 J. A. Reid et al. in J. A. Reid v. 79 The victim was trafficked by her father and exploited by other men when she was a preadolescent. society > trade and finance > illegal or immoral trading > trade in (goods) illegally or immorally [verb (transitive)] 1896 21 May He has made open charges to the board of directors, that employes of the prison are trafficking in the drug. 1915 i. 61 Some were trafficking to their own immoral gain, and to the detriment of the welfare of the unfortunate inmates. 1933 28 Jan. 1/1 Former Chicago policeman..to begin a two-year sentence for trafficking narcotics. 1948 23 Dec. 3/3 Members of an international smuggling ring engaged in trafficking large quantities of goods over the German-Dutch border have been arrested. 1988 O. Eby iii. xxiii. 206 He had hoped to confront the Mzee with evidence that Otieno was trafficking in poached game animals. 2013 iv. 93 Western Balkans, the Russian Federation, and Eastern Europe are key sources of firearms trafficked into the EU. 3. 1558 W. Whittingham in C. Goodman 6 Trie by the touchstone..who cehoppe [sic] and change [the wordes of God]..making marchandise therof to traffique according to mans pleasure. 1590 R. Greene ii. sig. E4v The gaine is griefe to those that traffique loue. 1637 J. Shirley iii. sig. E2v Your Ladiship I conceive Doth trafficke in flesh marchandize. 1761 E. Crane 71 What peace can riches give unto a wretch That traffics with the blood of innocence? 1779 D. Williams tr. Voltaire iii. 15 Leo X...trafficked in indulgencies, as men do in any articles of merchandize, in a public market. 1855 J. S. C. Abbott I. iv. 80 Beautiful and dissolute females..trafficking in their charms. 1917 tr. in 17 Aug. 5/1 His alliance with the nation's enemies, trafficking the honour of the nation..with foreigners. 2012 K. Russell lxix. 211 It was..strictly part of a business enterprise. Stoval trafficked in death on a scale bigger than anyone had ever imagined. 1656 180 Nor have we [women] lesse liberty granted to traffique in all truths both humane and divine. c1721 Marquis of Tullibardine Let. 24 Jan. in (1885) App. i. 126 On no pretence I trafick in any tainting politique. 1764 C. Churchill II. 131 Bids..[the daring Muse] frequent the haunts of humble swains, Nor dare to traffick in ambitious strains. 1820 Jan. 9/2 A court is generally filled with flatterers and servile sycophants, who traffic in lies and scandal. 1906 5 July 6/5 They lisp compliments from babyhood, they traffic in superlatives from their youth up. 1996 T. C. Bambara 255 My mama—not one to traffic in metaphors..being a very scientific woman. 2010 A. Matz i. 1 Fiction that trafficked in the grimy, destitute, ugly quarters of contemporary life. 1793 XIII. 47 There are men indeed who traffic on the wrongs and sufferings of the nation, who turn the grievances of the people to their own immediate profit. 1833 14 Mar. There were some persons who throve and trafficked upon the ills of their country. 1881 10 May 6/2 Nothing was so cruel as to traffic on the credulity of one's fellow-countrymen. 1946 4 Apr. 5/3 Insidious institutions of the devil, which work by stealth and traffic on the weakness of human nature. 1958 W. Barrett i. i. 6 The movement..actually trafficked upon the guilt philosophers felt at not being scientists. 4. To deal or communicate with, without implication of trade. Cf. traffic n. 3b. a. the mind > will > intention > planning > plotting > plot [verb (intransitive)] > conspire 1567 in J. H. Burton (1877) 1st Ser. I. 569 Williame Bischop of Dunblane..nocht declarand the maner how he maid his finance and trafficquand with the Papis Nunce and utheris his ministeris. 1613 R. Dallington xlv. 61 This pretence was without all colour, to them which truly considered his former courses, and vnderstood how he had trafficked with the Emperour long before to that purpose. 1615 P. Simson II. iv. 148 They shoulde bee discouered, and made knowne to Princes, against whose estate they trafficke with most treasonable attemptes. a1639 J. Spottiswood (1655) vi. 420 He had trafficked with strangers for subversion of Religion or the alteration of the State. 1673 Bp. G. Burnet iii. 226 Some..are perpetually trafficking to make all who differ from them odious, who catch up every Tattle they hear that may defame them. 1791 i. 11 The kind good-natur'd dame; Who, tho' she's very free and civil, Has never traffick'd with the Devil. 1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth xii in 2nd Ser. III. 333 Let no man go with us whose truth is not known to thee. None in especial who has trafficked with the Duke of Albany! 1858 C. M. Yonge Cameos xlvi in May 458 Jeanne discovered that he was trafficking with her enemies, and tampering with her friends. 1941 38 231 Still darker was his guilt if he trafficked with ‘the spirits that know all mortal consequences’. 2012 J. G. Hershberg xii. 511 Do let slip that he, too, was trafficking with the enemy. the mind > language > speech > agreement > make an agreement with [verb (transitive)] > negotiate a1649 W. Drummond (1655) 28 He trafficked the return of King Iames, and he being come, he plotted the overthrow of Duke Mordock. a1649 W. Drummond (1655) 207 He directed..his late paranymph, and the Lord Maxwell to France. Whilst they traffique this Marriage, many false accusations..are intended one after another at the Court. 1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara 180 It is a great trauaile to trafficke or deale wyth furious, impatient, and men of euill suffering: For that they are incomportable to serue: and of conuersation very perillous. 1632 H. More tr. G. Piatti ii. xiii. 267 The communication which we may haue by our minde and spirit, wherewith we traffick with God and his holie Angels. 1696 J. Cockburn i. i. 11 Not..Monkish or Cloistered Persons, but..such as were Married, and did commonly Traffique and entertain Commerce with the World. 1871 W. Alexander xiv. 105 Didna ye traffike neen wi' common fowk the day? 1882 (new ed.) Trafeque, to hold familiar intercourse. Banffs. II. Senses relating to travel (originally for the purpose of trade). 5. society > trade and finance > [verb (transitive)] > frequent for purpose of trade 1547 in (1890) II. 130 The Kynges Majestes subjectes trafeking the seas. 1592 J. Eliot 84 The towne..is greatly traffiqued with merchants from Tholouse, Bourdeaux, Quercy and Rouergue..for it is very plentifull. 1612 W. Shute tr. T. de Fougasses i. 164 This place neere to Constantinople..was much frequented by Genoa Merchants trafficking the Ponticke Seas. 1667 R. Fage 106 Lybia, famous for Mines of Gold..for which it is very much traffiqued by all the European Nations. 1568 T. Hacket tr. A. Thevet lvi. f. 89v Since that time they trafike and trade to the Ilande of Moluques. 1676 A. Sammes 20 Its Scituation and Ports, lying exactly in the middle between Tyre and the Streights, whither the Phœnicians Trafficked. 1716 Royal Proclam. 18 Oct. in No. 5480/1 Their Factors..should..Traffick, or Adventure into or from the..East-Indies. 1827 J. Ritson 209 (note) The drink of the Celtiberians was made of honey,..but they bought wine also of the merchants that trafficked thither. 1879 7 Feb. 225/1 Cosmas had been originally a merchant trafficking to the East. 2003 J. Della Croce 32 Another theory traces the bean's entry into the region through the Venetian merchants who trafficked to the Americas. 6. society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > travel to and fro 1569 E. Elviden f. 78v Titans ramping race perseuers through the skyes..And daily trafficks to the West and turnes to East agayne. 1669 R. Fleming 158 Such a party is at this day, encompassing the earth, and trafficking up, and down there. 1851 24 Apr. The numerous passengers that traffic hither and thither. 1877 E. Peacock (at cited word) Our nurse used to scold us when children for trafficking up and down stairs. 1917 W. Irwin iv. 106 The trail was lively all the way with soldiers, who trafficked back and forth, singing or calling out boyish jokes. 1931 R. Church i. v. 94 Excitement, speculation, and..pure physical feeling, these forces trafficked about her aching brain. 2002 L. D. Estleman (2003) x. 67 Officers in uniform, lawyerly types carrying briefcases, and apparent bums..trafficked about, jabbering. society > travel > [verb (transitive)] > go to and fro over or along 1624 J. Norden 273 All carnall men traffike this way, a very pleasant way, wherein yet many haue walked for a time. 1662 F. Kirkman xxiii. 142 Since ye must traffique sometimes this slippery way, take sure hold. a1825 R. Forby (1830) (at cited word) The new road will soon be trafficked. 1850 F. S. Merryweather 52 Some would venture to traffic them in the day, but few would risk such perilous thoroughfares by night. 1865 14 Nov. 3/4 The narrow road which goes past the doors is very much trafficked upon, and is always in a filthy state. 1935 (U.S. House of Representatives, 74th Congr., 1st Sess.) 473 To build roads..and then allow the large bus companies to traffic on them with large trucks. 1976 31 Dec. c15/1 This front area is..hectically trafficked by waiters dashing from the front bar to the back room. 1999 A. Gayot (ed. 4) 81/2 In a hub trafficked by visitors, this no-frills hangout is a popular and welcome site for drinking. 2006 P. Askegren xii. 223 The road that led out of Sunnydale was heavily trafficked with cars and vans, pickup trucks and SUVs. 7. 1968 R. A. Good in R. A. Good et al. 166 Labeled thymus lymphocytes traffic to nodes, spleen and certain lymphoid tissue related to gut, but do not normally traffic back to the thymus. 2003 A. M. Stevens et al. in M. Sticherling & E. Christophers 105 When cells traffic between fetus and mother during pregnancy and persist, maternal and fetal microchimerism results. 1985 144 The endosomes, containing apotransferrin associated with receptor are trafficked to the peri-Golgi region of the cell. 1996 109 156/2 The various receptor fragments can be stably inserted into lipid bilayers and properly trafficked to the cell surface. 2012 109 5559/1 Up to one-third of all proteins synthesized by eukaryotic cells are initially trafficked through the specialized environment of the endoplasmic reticulum. Phrasal verbs With adverbs in specialized senses. to traffic away 1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán ii. 314 Your cleane white linnen..was very good chaffer, to trafficke away with strangers. 1666 J. Caryl xlii. 907 What kind of Merchants, what kind of Exchange-men are they, that will traffick or truck away their souls, for the profits or pleasures of sin. 1755 20 Dec. 171 They trafficked away the peace of Europe. 1772 H. Maffett tr. Sallust 171 Vieing with one another in their prizes of cattle and slaves, and openly trafficking them away with the merchants. 1879 No. 32. 673 The honour of the proud house of Este was being basely trafficked away. 1914 1 Apr. 10/4 Base degenerates, trafficking their souls away for greed of gold and selling their honour for so much cash down! 1934 12 Apr. 11/8 Those out of power are said to claim that their party..has been traded and trafficked away. 1823 25 Apr. These goods were articles, the residue of his stock, which he was trafficking off. 1830 10 July 379/3 Your love of truth and honor can be trafficked off for even the hope of office. 1855 T. J. Hutchinson ii. 24 Captain Hawkins made the first English venture for a cargo of the living commodity, which he trafficked off at Hispaniola for produce of that island. 1922 11 Nov. 10/2 This place is a nuisance because of the poor, distressed horse flesh that is trafficked off here. 1961 5 Dec. 9/1 We cheer them [sc. the players] this year..and we'll probably hoot them next year if they're trafficked off to the despised Bears of Chicago or some other rivalling outfit. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < |
