Definition

Noun: A public auction; specifically, the sale of property or goods to the highest bidder in a public setting.

Usage

The word "vendue" is a formal and somewhat archaic term for an auction. It is used to describe the event or process of selling items openly to the highest bidder. * The estate's contents were disposed of at a vendue. * The announcement for the vendue of the seized cargo was posted in the town square.

Advanced Usage

• "To put something up to vendue": This is a formal phrase meaning to offer something for sale at a public auction.
  • The bankrupt merchant was forced to put his entire stock up to vendue.

Variants and Related Words

• Vendue master (noun): An archaic term for an auctioneer, the person who conducts the vendue.
  • The vendue master skillfully drove the bidding higher.

Synonyms

• Auction
• Public sale
• Sale by auction

Antonyms

• Private sale
• Fixed-price sale

Notes on Meaning

"Vendue" is largely historical and legal in its usage today. In modern English, "auction" is the far more common and preferred term for this concept. You will encounter "vendue" primarily in older texts, legal documents, or in historical contexts describing commerce.

Noun

1. the public sale of something to the highest bidder