off-price
Meaning
Relating to or being a store that sells merchandise, especially brand-name clothing, at prices lower than those of traditional retailers.
Relating to the sale of goods at such reduced prices.
Structure
Usage
She found a designer dress at an off-price retailer.
The company specializes in the off-price sale of electronics.
These off-price outlets offer significant savings on high-end goods.
Etymology
The compound adjective "off-price" is a modern commercial term formed within English. Its logic is transparent, combining the common adverb/preposition "off," implying a departure or reduction from a norm, with the noun "price," denoting cost. The term literally suggests a price that is "off" the standard or regular retail price. This construction follows a productive English pattern for creating compound modifiers (e.g., off-brand, off-peak) to specify a deviation from a typical condition, in this case, the expected market price for branded goods.
Analysis
- off: From Old English of, off, meaning "away, away from, from, off." It functions as an adverb or preposition used here to indicate deviation or separation from a standard. - price: From Old French pris, price (Modern French prix), meaning "value, worth, reward," ultimately from Latin pretium meaning "price, value, reward." It functions as the core noun element.