emporium

plural emporiums · plural emporia

1. alsofigurativelyA city or region which is a major trading centre; also, a place within a city for commerce and trading; a marketplace.

   Excester, or EXETER, is a famous and ancient City, the metropolis and emporium of the Weſt of England.

   1789, “Bridport”, in A Diary of the Royal Tour, in June, July, August, and September, 1789. […], London: […] J. Southern, […], and Scatcherd and Whitaker, […], →OCLC, footnote *, page 64

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   Venice a poore fiſhertowne, Paris, London, ſmall Cottages, in Cæſars time, now moſt noble Emporiums.

   1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Against Poverty and Want, with Such Other Adversity”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 3, member 3, page 269

   And, while this fam'd Emporium we prepare, / The Britiſh Ocean ſhall ſuch triumphs boaſt, / That thoſe who now diſdain our Trade to ſhare, / Shall rob like Pyrats on our wealthy Coaſt.

   1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, stanza 303, page 76

   The ſtate itself [New York] is penetrated by a large navigable river for more than fifty leagues. The great emporium of its commerce, the great reſervoir of its wealth, lies every moment at the mercy of events, and may almoſt be regarded as a hoſtage for ignominious compliances with the dictates of a foreign enemy, or even with the rapacious demands of pirates and barbarians.

   1788, Publius [pseudonym; James Madison], “Number XLI. General View of the Powers Proposed to be Vested in the Union.”, in The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, […] , volume II, New York, N.Y.: […] J. and A. M‘Lean, […], →OCLC, page 45

   [W]ould there not be a ſerious danger, that while theſe innovations were proceeding, rival European powers might ſeize the occaſion, renew their commercial efforts, and divert into a new channel thoſe ſtreams of commerce which rendered London the emporium of the Eaſtern trade?

   1793, “The History of Europe”, in The Annual Register, or A View of the History, Politics, and Literature, for the Year 1793, London: […] W. Otridge and Son; […], →OCLC, chapter II, page 121, column 1

   Merchants did not carry their goods to the ports where they were to be finally disposed of, and used, but to certain emporia, called staple towns, where they met with customers from the countries where their goods were wanted, and with the commodities they wished to purchase for importation.

   1806, B. Lambert, chapter XXII, in The History and Survey of London and Its Environs. […], volume I, London: […] T[homas] Hughes, […]; and M. Jones, […], →OCLC, page 412

2. alsofigurativelyA shop that offers a wide variety of goods for sale; a department store; (with a descriptive word) a shop specializing in particular goods.

   With a name like “The Wine and Spirits Emporium”, no wonder the prices are so high.

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   Then, as if he wiſhed to convert himſelf into a vaſt emporium of every error, he applied to the doctrines of the modern Sophiſters, and thus plied his unfortunate brain on the one ſide with all the delirious conceits of Cabaliſtic Maſonry, and on the other with the impious doctrines of the ſelf-created Philoſophers.

   1799, [Augustin] Barruel, chapter III, in Robert Clifford, transl., Memoirs, Illustrating the History of Jacobinism. […], volume III, part III (The Antisocial Conspiracy), New York, N.Y.: […] Isaac Collins], for Cornelius Davis, […], →OCLC, page 70

   J. Charles begs to state, that in consequence of his making his purchases with Cash, and always keeping an extensive Stock, he is enabled to defy competition.—Observe, the Emporium of Fashion is at 171, Fleet-street.

   1826 January 7, “Economy in Dress [advertisement]”, in William Cobbett, editor, Cobbett’s Weekly Register, volume LVII, number 2, London: […] William Cobbett, […], →OCLC

   The Olympic Toy Emporium occupied a conspicuous frontage in an important West End street. It was happily named Toy Emporium, because one would never have dreamed of according it the familiar and yet pulse-quickening name of toyshop.

   1919, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “Morlvera”, in R[othay] R[eynolds], editor, The Toys of Peace and Other Papers. […], London: John Lane, The Bodley Head […], →OCLC, page 209

   The Beijing Wangfujing Department Store is a large commercial enterprise well-known in China, and is also famous as one of the world's largest retail stores [...] About 1.7 billion customers, both Chinese and foreign, have been received by the Emporium since its founding, which is about 1.4 times the population of China [...].

   1998, Guo Hongchi, Liu Fei, “New China’s Flagship Emporium: The Beijing Wangfujing Department Store”, in Kerrie L. MacPherson, transl., Asian Department Stores (ConsumAsian), Honolulu, Hi.: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, page 114

   Many of the "pick and shovel men," who built nearby Duke's Park, found homes in neighboring Raritan village, spending their weekly wages at such well-known emporiums as Amerman and Reager's General Store (a landmark from 1883 to 1953), Granetz's Department Store (1900 to 1988), and Glaser's (1893 to 1997).

   1999, Alan A. Siegel, Somerset County in Vintage Photographs (Postcard History Series), Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN

3. historicalA business set up to enable foreign traders to engage in commerce in a country; a factory (now the more common term).

   The advantages to be enjoyed, and laws conformed to by the men of war of either ſtate, the trade to be carried on in America, the catching of herrings or other fiſh, the ſettling of emporiums, &c. ſhall be adjuſted by a ſpecial treaty.

   1654 April 20, Charles Jenkinson, “Treaty of Peace between Oliver Cromwell Protector of the Common-wealth of England, and Christina Queen of Sweden, Concluded at Upsal, April 11th, 1654 [Julian calendar]”, in A Collection of All the Treaties of Peace, Alliance, and Commerce, between Great-Britain and Other Powers, […], volume I (From 1648, to 1713), London: […] J[ohn] Debrett, […], published 1785, →OCLC, article XVI, page 70

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   On the ſouthern branch is a town called Pipely, where there was formerly an Engliſh factory; but this was removed to Huguley, one hundred and ſixty miles farther up the river; a place which, together with the company's ſettlement at Calcutta, were the emporiums of their commerce for the whole kingdom of Bengal.

   1760, T[obias] Smollett, “George II”, in Continuation of the Complete History of England, volume I, London: […] Richard Baldwin, […], →OCLC, page 204

4. broadlyobsoleteThe brain.

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   Catalepſy is occaſioned by a Relaxation of the Fibers of the Emporium, which cannot receive the outward Impreſſions, whereby the Soul has its Senſations, and yet give a free Paſſage to the Animal Spirits into all the Parts, whither they may be conveyed independently upon the Will. The Relaxation of the Fibers of the Emporium is occaſioned by a thin Seroſity, which remains in the very Texture of the Fibers, to relax them without leſſening their Cavity, as it happens in the periodical Oedema’s, that are daily obſerved upon ſeveral Parts of the Skin.

   1722, [Antoine] Deidier, “Article XL. An Account of an Extraordinary Disease, Inscribed to Dr. Deidier, Regius Professor of Physick at Montpellier; with His Thoughts upon that Disease.”, in [Michel de La Roche], editor, Memoirs of Literature. […], 2nd edition, volume III, London: […] R. Knaplock, […]; and P. Vaillant, […], →OCLC, page 197

   Observing, then that the emporium or brain itself reflects the entire product of all the senses by an impressible power, which, as by a looking-glass, exactly duplicated the external recognizers, or sense apparatus or limbs, it was inferred that the principle of duplication must be the true and exact counterpart to evergency; [...]

   1877, Richard Fawcett Battye, “Upon Animal Morphology and Differentiation”, in What is Vital Force?: Or, A Short and Comprehensive Sketch, including, Vital Physics, Animal Morphology, and Epidemics; […], London: Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC, section IV (The Sense of Sight), page 136

1. A borough, the county seat of Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States.