market-share
UK[ˈmɑːkɪt ʃeə]US[ˈmɑːrkɪt ʃer]
n
The percentage of total sales in a particular market that is held by a specific company, product, or brand.
Morpheme Breakdown
market
share
market
place of trade
share
portion
Etymology
The compound noun 'market-share' is a modern business term that logically combines two ancient concepts of division and commerce. 'Market' originates from the Latin mercatus, meaning a place or activity of trade, which itself derives from the verb mercari (to trade). 'Share' comes from the Proto-Germanic concept of cutting or dividing, evident in Old English scearu, implying a portion allotted from a whole. The term's formation follows a transparent English compounding pattern, where 'market' defines the relevant whole (the total sales in an industry) and 'share' specifies the portion of that whole controlled by a single entity, thus creating a precise metric for commercial competition.
Analysis
Structure: market (place of trade) + share (portion)
market: From Latin mercatus (trading, trade, market), via Old North French market. Functions as the base noun specifying the domain.
share: From Old English scearu (a cutting, division, portion), related to scieran (to cut). Functions as the head noun specifying the portion or allotment within that domain.
Examples
The company's aggressive advertising campaign succeeded in increasing its market-share.
They are the industry leader with a market-share of over 35 percent.
Losing market-share to a new competitor is a major concern for the board.