Main Entry: ¹traf·fic

Pronunciation: \ˈtra-fik\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle French trafique, from Old Italian traffico, from trafficare to trade in coastal waters

Date: 1549

1 a : import and export trade b : the business of bartering or buying and selling c : illegal or disreputable usually commercial activity <the drug traffic>
2 a : communication or dealings especially between individuals or groups b : exchange <a lively traffic in ideas — F. L. Allen>
3 archaic : wares, goods
4 a (1) : the movement (as of vehicles or pedestrians) through an area or along a route (2) : the vehicles, pedestrians, ships, or planes moving along a route (3) : congestion of vehicles <stuck in traffic> b : the information or signals transmitted over a communications system : messages
5 a : the passengers or cargo carried by a transportation system b : the business of transporting passengers or freight
6 : the volume of customers visiting a business establishment <restaurant traffic>
7 : a concentration of participants or players and especially defensive players <force difficult shots in traffic>

synonyms see business

— the traffic will bear : existing conditions will allow or permit <charge what the traffic will bear>