retail
Definitions
The selling of goods in small quantities directly to the public
零售，零售业
To sell goods to the public in small quantities
零售，零卖
(of a product) to be sold at a stated price
（商品）以某价格出售
At a retail price rather than wholesale
以零售方式（购买）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedre- (again) + tail (cut) = 'to cut again.' Merchants bought stock in bulk, then re-cut it into small lots to sell to ordinary customers. That act of cutting goods into small sellable pieces is exactly what retail still means — the opposite of selling in bulk (wholesale).
Root tail still carries 12 more wordsWhy It Means This
Retail literally means 're-cutting': taking a bulk supply and cutting it back down into small portions for individual buyers. Knowing this makes the wholesale/retail contrast click — wholesale sells the whole lot, retail cuts it into pieces.
Usage Guide
Note the special verb pattern 'retail at/for' meaning 'is sold at (a price)': 'the watch retails for $200.' As an adverb it appears in 'buy retail' (vs 'buy wholesale'). Stress stays on the first syllable: RE-tail, for all parts of speech.
Example Sentences
- 1.
She works in retail, helping customers find the right shoes.
- 2.
The store retails imported coffee at a premium price.
- 3.
The new phone retails for around eight hundred dollars.
- 4.
Online retail has grown faster than traditional stores.
Easily Confused
retail vs wholesale — retail sells small quantities directly to consumers (cut into pieces); wholesale sells large quantities to businesses who resell (the whole lot). You buy a single shirt at retail; a shop buys a hundred at wholesale.