negotiated
UK[nɪˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪ.tɪd]US[nɪˈɡoʊ.ʃi.eɪ.t̬ɪd]
v
Discussed something formally in order to reach an agreement.
v
Successfully arranged or achieved something through discussion.
v
Past tense and past participle of 'negotiate'.
Morpheme Breakdown
neg
oti
ate
ed
neg
not
oti
leisure
ate
verb suffix
ed
past tense suffix
Etymology
The word 'negotiated' originates from the Latin verb 'negotiari', meaning 'to carry on business'. This verb itself was formed from the combination of 'neg-', a prefix meaning 'not', and 'otium', meaning 'leisure or ease'. The literal sense was thus 'to be not at leisure', implying the busyness of conducting business or trade. Over time, the meaning evolved from the general activity of business to the specific process of formal discussion and bargaining inherent to it. The '-ate' suffix marks it as a verb, and the '-ed' suffix indicates the past action, completing the journey from a Latin concept of busy work to the modern English term for a concluded discussion.
Analysis
Structure: neg (not) + oti (leisure) + ate (verb suffix) + ed (past tense suffix)
- neg: Latin origin, meaning 'not'. A prefix indicating negation.
- oti: Latin origin, from 'otium', meaning 'leisure, ease'. The core root of the word.
- ate: Latin suffix, used to form verbs meaning 'to act in a specified manner'.
- ed: Old English suffix, used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
The union successfully negotiated a new contract with management.
She skillfully negotiated the treacherous mountain path.
The final price was negotiated after several hours of discussion.