Etymology : Middle English exchaunge, from Middle French eschange, from eschangier to exchange, from Vulgar Latin excambiare, from Latin ex- + cambiare to exchange; more at CHANGE
Pronunciation : iks-chAnj, eks-"
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. conversion; stock market; trade, barter, act of giving something in return for something else. give one thing in return for another, replace one thing with another, trade, barter. exchange\ex*change"\ , n. [oe. eschange, eschaunge, of. eschange, fr. eschangier, f. échanger, to exchange; pref. ex- out + f. changer. see:
change, and cf. excamb.].
2. the act of giving or taking one thing in return for another which is regarded as an equivalent; as, an exchange of cattle for grain.
3. the act of substituting one thing in the place of another; as, an exchange of grief for joy, or of a scepter for a sword, and the like; also, the act of giving and receiving reciprocally; as, an exchange of civilities or views.
4. the thing given or received in return; esp., a publication exchanged for another.
5. (com.) the process of setting accounts or debts between parties residing at a distance from each other, without the intervention of money, by exchanging orders or drafts, called bills of exchange. these may be drawn in one country and payable in another, in which case they are called foreign bills; or they may be drawn and made payable in the same country, in which case they are called inland bills. the term bill of exchange is often abbreviated into exchange; as, to buy or sell exchange.note: a in london is creditor to b in new york, and c in london owes d in new york a like sum. a in london draws a bill of exchange on b in new york; c in london purchases the bill, by which a receives his debt due from b in new york. c transmits the bill to d in new york, who receives the amount from b.
6. (law) a mutual grant of equal interests, the one in consideration of the other. estates exchanged must be equal in quantity, as fee simple for fee simple.
7. the place where the merchants, brokers, and bankers of a city meet at certain hours, to transact business. in this sense often contracted to 'change.
8. The act of giving or taking one thing in return for another which is regarded as an equivalent; as, an exchange of cattle for grain.
9. The act of substituting one thing in the place of another; as, an exchange of grief for joy, or of a scepter for a sword, and the like; also, the act of giving and receiving reciprocally; as, an exchange of civilities or views.
10. The thing given or received in return; esp., a publication exchanged for another.
11. The process of setting accounts or debts between parties residing at a distance from each other, without the intervention of money, by exchanging orders or drafts, called bills of exchange.
12. These may be drawn in one country and payable in another, in which case they are called foreign bills; or they may be drawn and made payable in the same country, in which case they are called inland bills.
13. The term bill of exchange is often abbreviated into exchange; as, to buy or sell exchange.
14. A mutual grant of equal interests, the one in consideration of the other.
15. Estates exchanged must be equal in quantity, as fee simple for fee simple.
16. The place where the merchants, brokers, and bankers of a city meet at certain hours, to transact business.
17. In this sense often contracted to 'Change.
18. To part with give, or transfer to another in consideration of something received as an equivalent; usually followed by for before the thing received.
19. To part with for a substitute; to lay aside, quit, or resign ; as, to exchange a palace for cell.
20. To give and receive reciprocally, as things of the same kind; to barter; to swap; as, to exchange horses with a neighbor; to exchange houses or hats.
21. To be changed or received in exchange for; to pass in exchange; as, dollar exchanges for ten dimes. the capture by both players of pieces of equal value; "the endgame began after the exchange of queens" gaining a rook in return for a knight or bishop; "black lost the exchange" reciprocal transfer of equivalent sums of money especially the currencies of different countries; "he earns his living from the interchange of currency" the act of giving something in return for something received; "deductible losses on sales or exchanges of property are allowable" the act of changing one thing for another thing; "Adam was promised immortality in exchange for his disobedience"; "there was an exchange of prisoners" a workplace for buying and selling; open only to members a mutual expression of views ; "they had a bitter exchange" chemical process in which one atom or ion or group changes places with another give to, and receive from, one another; "Would you change places with me?"; "We have been exchanging letters for a year" hand over one and receive another, approximately equivalent; "exchange prisoners"; "exchange employees between branches of the company".
22. 1. If two or more people exchange things of a particular kind, they give them to each other at the same time. We exchanged addresses and Christmas cards He exchanged a quick smile with her then entered the lift. Exchange is also a noun. He ruled out any exchange of prisoners with the militants. a frank exchange of views.
23. If you exchange something, you replace it with a different thing, especially something that is better or more satisfactory. the chance to sell back or exchange goods If the car you have leased is clearly unsatisfactory, you can always exchange it for another.
24. An exchange is a brief conversation, usually an angry one. There've been some bitter exchanges between the two groups.
25. An exchange of fire, for example, is an incident in which people use guns or missiles against each other. There was an exchange of fire during which the gunman was wounded.
26. An exchange is an arrangement in which people from two different countries visit each other's country, to strengthen links between them. a series of sporting and cultural exchanges with Seoul I'm going to go on an exchange visit to Paris.
27. The exchange is the same as the telephone exchange. see also:
corn exchange, foreign exchange, stock exchange.
28. If you do or give something in exchange for something else, you do it or give it in order to get that thing. It is illegal for public officials to solicit gifts or money in exchange for favors. American Stock Exchange bill of exchange commodity exchange exchange control exchange rate foreign exchange gift exchange ion exchange resin London Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange Securities and Exchange Commission stock exchange Tokyo Stock Exchange.