What does coemption mean?
Coemption is the practice of buying up goods—historically foodstuffs such as grain—in large quantities with the aim of reselling them at a profit, often to the detriment of the wider market. In medieval and early modern Europe, it belonged to a family of commercial offences that also included engrossing, forestalling, and regrating, all of which were condemned because they restricted the free flow of provisions to ordinary buyers. Statutes and local ordinances repeatedly prohibited the coemption of harvests, reflecting deep anxiety about scarcity and price manipulation. The word derives from the Latin coemptio, meaning "a buying together" or purchase, from the verb emere, "to buy." Beyond its economic sense, the same Latin noun described a formality of Roman law: the ceremonial, often symbolic purchase by which a bride entered her husband's household. Today coemption survives mainly in historical, legal, and scholarly writing, valued as a precise term for early attempts to police market corners long before modern antitrust law.
nounThe act of buying up goods or commodities in bulk, especially provisions, with the intent of reselling them at a profit; historically a term for such monopolizing trade practices as engrossing and forestalling.
- The purchase of goods or provisions in large quantities for resale, especially so as to create a monopoly or drive up prices.
- (Roman law) A formal ceremonial purchase, notably the fictitious sale by which a wife passed into her husband's family (marriage per coemptionem).
"Medieval statutes against coemption sought to prevent merchants from buying up entire harvests before they reached the open market."
"Parliament repeatedly legislated against the coemption of corn by wealthy dealers."
"In ancient Rome, marriage per coemptionem was solemnized through a symbolic purchase of the bride."
Rarely pluralized; the word is normally treated as an uncountable activity.
"Repeated coemptions of grain drove bread prices beyond the reach of the poor."
Centuries ago, buying up grain to resell wasn't just frowned upon — it could land you in court under laws explicitly written against 'coemption.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coemption
Coemption comes from the Latin coemptio, meaning "a buying together," formed from the prefix co- ("together") and emere ("to buy"), the same root that gives English redeem, exemption, and preemption. It entered English in the early modern period through legal and historical writing, where it denoted the buying-up of provisions for resale. The same Latin noun was also used in Roman law for the formal purchase ceremony of marriage known as coemptio.
How coemption is actually used
"Coemption" is rare and chiefly historical, appearing most often in discussions of medieval and early modern market regulation or Roman legal institutions. It carries a slightly archaic, academic register.
Easily confused with coemption
Coercion means forcing someone to act through pressure or threats, whereas coemption refers to the commercial practice of buying up goods to control supply.