nonmarketable
|non-mar-ket-a-ble|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˈmɑrkɪtəbəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˈmɑːkɪtəbəl/
not able to be sold / not tradable
Etymology
'nonmarketable' is formed from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and the adjective 'marketable' (from 'market' + suffix '-able'). 'Market' ultimately traces to Latin 'mercatus' via Old French.
'market' came into English from Old North French/Old French words such as 'market'/'marche', which in turn derive from Latin 'mercatus' (past participle of 'mercari' 'to trade'). The adjective 'marketable' (able to be sold) developed in Early Modern English, and 'non-' was later prefixed to form 'nonmarketable'.
Originally 'market' referred to a physical place for buying and selling; 'marketable' evolved to mean 'suitable for sale'; 'nonmarketable' therefore came to mean 'not suitable for sale' or 'not tradable'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not able to be sold or placed on the market because it is unsuitable, faulty, or has no demand.
After the inspection, several items were declared nonmarketable and were removed from inventory.
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Adjective 2
(Finance) Not tradable on public markets or exchanges; lacking a ready market or liquidity.
The grant was paid in nonmarketable securities that could not be readily sold.
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Last updated: 2025/10/17 09:26